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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
DIPPERS, s. the
Baptists.
Generally used as
a soubriquet by
others; but I
have even heard
a Baptir
minister sp«Jc of
one of his
0¥m sect as
a dipper,
DIRTS, s, salt-making
term. Cinders and
ashes left after
fuel is
consumed.
DlRTY DICK, s.
the plant Chenopodium
album, and several
othei
species, which are
found growing on
old dung heaps.
DIRTY JOHN, s.
the plant Chenopodium
album. Halton.
DISGEST, V. to
digest; an old,
if not the
oldest, form of
the word.
A correspondent relates
the following story
apropos of this
word. <* Pi
friend of mine,
when a young
man living in
lodgings, was surprised
to find
that a
fine ham sent
from his Yorkshire
home was disappearing very
rapidly.
Upon mentioning the
fact to his
landlady, she was
most mdignant, but
coming in unexpectedlv one
morning, he found
her regaling herself
with a
huge plateful of
broiled ham. She,
unabashed, said '
Yo seen mestec,
oi've
getten sich a
poor insoide, I
can disgesi nothin
bu' frizzled ham.'
“
DISGESTION, 5. digestion.
Randle Holme (Academy
of Armory) uses
this word and
dXso disgestive^
DISH, s, (i)
formerly butter used
to be sold
in many of
the markets
by the
dish of twenty-four
ounces.
“In most parts
of Cheshire, butter
is made up
for sale in
lumps, that
have the name
of dishes applied
them." — Holland's
General View of
the
Agriculture of Cheshire
(i8o8), p. 261.
(2) the angle
at which spokes
are fixed in
the nave of a
wheel.
A wheel in
which the circumference stands
out much beyond
the centre is
said to have
a good deal
of dish — a flat
wheel, very little
dish,
DISHABIL, adj. not
dressed.
•* Yo
mun Excuse me bein* dishabil,^^
DISH-CLOUT, s. a
dishcloth.
DISHED, adj, wheels
are said to
be dished when
they are hollow
by reason of
the circumference projecting
beyond the centre-
See Dish (2).
DISH-DAIN or DISH-DOWN,
s, a sudden
reverse of fortune,
a
disappointment.
An old
woman's name was
accidentally omitted from
a list of
those whc
were to receive
a coal charity;
when the mistake
was rectified, she
said, “ It
was quite a
dish-dain when he
told mc there
was none for
me."
DISH ED-DOWN, part
crestfallen, disappointed.
DISMAY, V, to
go wrong.
“It's never dismayed,"
“ He did, and
ne'er dismayed" i.e.,
never hesitated. L.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. lOI
lITCH, s. sQlt-making
term. The space
in the hoi-house
between
two raised flues, used
for putting lump
salt in to
complete its
stoving and drying.
TTCHERS, s. a
salt-making term. Men
who remove the
lumps
of salt from
the flues to
the "ditches," and
when dry take
them
out of
the '■ hothouse."
HTCHING, /flr/. salt-making term.
Removing the lumps
from
the flues to
the ditches.
t>lTHER, s. a
trembling, a shivering.
leeib chailM he
is said lo
be "iw ofa
Dither, v, to
tremWe, to shiver.
Wilbraham gives also
Didder.
.DiTHING, s. a
trembling or vibratory
motion of the
eye. W.
DIVERS, s. the
larger blocks of
bun stone used
for making river
embankments. They are
thrown in first,
so as to
make a solid
foundation between which
the smaller stones
lodge. Runcorn.
DJED, adj. dead.
DjEF.aC?-. deaf.
DJEL, J, quantity.
^JEL, adv. drawing
near as to
time. Beeston.
A maa
who works at
ihe Beeston Castle
Holel, describing the
time it toot
la ^
rill of all
the visitors to
the niinual F£le
held bC Beeston
Castle, said
"iliUke 1 djel
□' len afore
they aw get
cleared o^" that
is nearly ten
o'clock.
BJOV, s. dew.
S. Ches.
^, la
man who asks
another to drink
uses the term
COME-DO, f Come,
the other one
accepts by saying
Do. L.
"OBBIN, i. a
timber cart. Dobbin
Wheels, the very
high wheels of
thesame. L. Doebv
Wheels is themore
usual pronunciation.
^BBY-HORSE, s. a
hobby-horse.
An imitalLon horse
whicli figures in
the play performetj
by the "
Soulers "
(Bee SoULKBs). It
i; usually made
up wilJi a
horse's skull fastened
■n the top
of n staff.
A man, in
a stooping posture,
holds the staff
so
■lutbis legs form
the horse's hind
legs, his back
the horse's bick,
and the
SiS serves for
the horse's forelegs.
The man is
hidden under a
nig or a
>Un; and there
is an atrangemenl
of strings or
wires by which
he can make
lit \vtn. open
and shut. Most
parishes possess a
horse's skull, preserved
^Dtn year lo
year for the
occasion. The whole
thing has a
most unearthly
■ppearance, and generally
causes a good
deal of consternation amongst
Ihe
■iudicn, and even
women, of a
household where the
play is performed.
IlOBBY-W HEELS. The
large hind wheels
of a timber
carriage.
srkpeople. ^H
102 CHESHIRE GLOSSARV.
DOCK, V. to
shorten.
DOCKET, I, hatling
term. The wage
ticket of workpeople.
DOCK GO IN,
NETTLE COME OUT.
This is said
by childrea when
ihey have been
stung by a
nettle. Thef
immediately nib the
place with a
dock leaf, using
the above words
as a sort
of chaim oi
incantation. Wii.braham gives
the words in
a slighllf
different form. "In
dock out nettle," as
"a kind of
proverbiaj sayir^
expressive of inconstaaey," adding
"II issnppoacd thai,
upon a person
bdi^
stone with a
nettle, the immediate
application of the
dock leaf lo
(be
aggneved part, repeating
the precise words,
' In dock
out nettle,' three
tima
(which constitute thecbamt)
will mitigate the
pun. These woidsare
said to
have a
similar effect nith
those expressed in
Ine old monkish
adage, 'Extol
arliea, tihi sil
periiielis arnica,' the
female garters bound
about the pl^H
which has suffered,
being held a
remedy equ^ly efficacious." ^|
DODDER. See DoTHER.
^
DODGER, s. salt-making
term; a long-headed
hammer with a
long handle, used
for knocking off
the scale or
incrustalions of
hme or
dirt on the
pan bottoms when
the pan is
at work; also
called Dodging Hammer.
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DODGING, part, salt-making
term. Knocking scaU
off the pit
over the fire,
DODGING HAMMER, s.
See Dodger.
DO DO,
V.
The reduplication of
"do" is Teiy
peculiar in Cheshire.
ACheshii
will say "I
did do" in
reply to "Wliy
did you?" or
" Why did
you not ?'
and in
reply lo "Why
do you never
go to church?" he
will even say
" Weill
I do
do soroetimei." The
explanation is that
"do" is either
an auxitianr
verb, or it
is an intransitive verb
meaning to perform.
The Brst do w
auxiliary, the second
inlransitive, and ihe
same educated people
who ' ' '
oar Cheshire expression
is wrong, constantly
use il ihemaelves
in both n
and correctly, when
they say "Why
do you do
so?"
DOE or
DOW, v. to
grow (at, to
thrive on little
food.
Kan animal is
feeding well we
say "it dots
well" (pronounced "doce*^.
The verb is
also used transitively, Thus
we speak of
particular food :a4Mitig
the entile. If
a man is
growing fat we
say "his meat
deti him." WlL-
BRAIIAM gives as
a Cheshire adage
"hanged hay neveii/A'J' cattle," thai
is,
"hough! hay, which
has been weighed
in the scales,
is not economical."
When an animal
is in an
unhealthy condition, but
still lingers on,
and its food
seems to do
it no good,
it is commonly
said " It'll
nolher dot noi
dee."
DOESOME, adj. apt
to grow fat;
said chiefly of
cattle.
DOFF or DUFF,
j. dough.
DOFF, V. to
pull off one's
clothes.
DOFFY, adj. cowardly. Mow
Cop.
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2457)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. IO3
DOG,;. a tool
used by sawyers.
It is
a short bar
of iron, with
the ends turned
up and sharpened,
used to
bold a
piece of timber
steady for sawing.
One end of
the dog is
driven into
the timber, the
other into the
frame of the
sawpit I have
heard the name
eiplained " because
it holds it
fast," like a
dog when it
bites anyone.
DOG, V. to
turn. Rostherne.
“Dog it o'er,"
1.*., " turn
it over."
DOG DAISY, s.
Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum,
DOG ELLER, uc.
Dog Elder, s.
Viburnum Opulus.
About Frodsham ^Egopodium
Podagraria is also
called dog elUr,
DOGEOUS, adj. wringing
wet. L.
DOGHY, adj. dark,
cloudy, reserved.
Bread half-baked is
called doghy from "dough." L.
DOG NETTLE, s.
Lamiumpurpurmm.
DOGS, 5. salt-making
term. Irons fixed
to the inner
sides of a
pan, to place
the tubs or
barrows on when
the salt is
being
drained.
DOGTAILj s. the
long-tailed titmouse, Parus
caudatus. Middle-
WICH.
DOKIN, s. a
soft fellow. Wilmslow.
“He*s nowt bur
a dokin of
a lad, he's
noo sharpness in
him."
DOLE, s. a
distribution of alms
at a funeral.
I am
not aware that
such a distribution is
ever made now;
but it was
the
custom formerly when
anyone of importance
died.
DOLES or DOWS,
s, portions of
common meadow lands
allotted to
various holdings in
a township.
In the
township of Halton
is a large
field called '*
The Dows" and
in
old doctmient^ the
"Butty Doles" or
"Butty Dows^” which
consists of a
namber of allotments
marked off by
boundary-stones. Some of
these
formerly belonged to
the Duchy of
Lancaster, others to
various owners ; but
they have now
all been bought
up by one
landowner. There is
also a Doztf$
on Frodsham Marsh.
DOLLOP, s. a
large quantity.
DOLLY, s. an
instrument with a
cross handle at
the top and
large
wooden pegs at
the bottom, used
for washing clothes
in a tub.
Also called a
Peggy.
DOLLY, V. to
wash clothes with
a dolly or
peggy.
“ Oo
alius may's him
doily th* clothes.
DOLLY-TUB, s. a
barrel-shaped tub in
which the dolly
or peggy is
used.
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2458)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
DON, s. to
put on one's
clothes.
DONCE, V. to
dance.
DON- HAND, s. an
expert. The same
as Dab-hand. Macclss-
FIELD.
DOOMENT, s. a
stir, an entertainment.
“We're goin to
haye a grand
doomeni at ahr
shop (fiictoiy) next
wik; th' mester*s
goin get wed."
DOORE (gen.), DUR
(Mobberley, Wilmslow), s,
a door.
DOORE-CHEEKS,) ^ H^rr^ocfc
DUR-CHEEKS, J ^'
^^^'^^^
DOORE-STEP, s. the
sill or threshold
of a door.
DOTHER, s. the
plant Spergula arvensis,
which is extremely
plentiful, and a
most troublesome weed
upon some of
the light
sandy soils of
Cheshire.
The name is
extended to Vicia
hirsuia and, in
fact, to several
smothering
plants. In Mid-Ches.
Polygonum Convolvulus is
caUed dotker,
DOTHERUM, s. the
plant Veronica hederifolia, Bunbury. Also
BOTHERUM.
DOUBLE BROTHER, \
^ u ^x.
• *. t
DOUBLE SISTER, j
'' ^" ^'^*^'
^'^ ^'^^^^' ^
DOUGH, s, "As
busy as a
dog in dough^'
is a colloquial
expression.
Cheshire Sheafs vol.
i., p. 266.
DOUT, V, to
put out, to
extinguish.
“ Nah
then ! dout that
cangle; its toime
yo wcm aw
asleep."
DOUTERS, s. small
tongs with flat,
rounded ends, for
putting a
candle out by
pinching the wick.
They have rings
for the thumb
and finger like
snuffers.
DOUZZY, adj. dull,
stupid. Halliwelu
DOVE DUNG, s,
a variety of
marl.
*• There is
an excellent kind
of marl sometimes
met with which
is vulgarij
called done dungj
from its resemblance
in appearance to
the dnng of
pigeons." — Holland's
General View of
the Agriculture of
Cheshire (lS>8),
p. 222.
DOW. See Doe.
DOWK, V. to
stoop the head.
DOWKER, s. the
lesser grebe. Podiceps
minor,
DOWS. See Doles.
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2459)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. lOS
DOWZLIN, s. a
wetting. S. Ches.
“That chad's very
wet." "Ay ! oo*s
getten a bit
of a dowzlin,'*
DRABBLY, adj. wet,
soaking, as applied
to the weather.
*'li's Ytiy drabbly:'
We also speak
of " drabbly
weather." See
Dabbly.
DRAFF, 5. brewer's
grains, much used
for feeding milking-cows.
The Gunners in
the southern half
of the county
have truck loads
sent
weekly from Burton-on-Trent.
DRAGON, 5. a
bo/s kite. Hyde.
Rying a kite
is always spoken
of as '*
dragpn-^ying,"
DRAT, excl. an
exclamation of anger
or annoyance.
“DrtU it." " Drai iW
lad."
DRAUGHTS, s. salt-making
term. The flues
under a salt
pan.
DRAW, V, (i)
to draw thatch
is to separate
the short straw
from
the long before
the latter is
used for thatching.
The operation takes
place after the
straw has been
sessed ox "soaked."
(2) to
draw the bread
is to take
it out of
the oven when
it is
baked.
(3) salt-making term.
To draw salt
is to take
it out of
the pan when
made. It is
done when the
pans
are hot with
the tools called
Skimmers and Rakes.
It is
then put on
the Hurdles to
drain, and after-
wards wheeled to the
storehouse.
(4) salt-mining term.
To raise the
rock-salt from the
excavation to the
surface.
(5) tanning term.
To draw hides
is to put
them into
and take them
out from the
different pits. They
are literally drawn
out with a
long-handled hook.
DRAW THE NAIL,
idiom, to break
a vow.
This very curious
expression originates in
an equally strange
custom, not
Pwhaps very common,
but occasionally practised
about Mobberley and
™ilmslow. Two or
more men will
bind themselves by
a vow — say, not
to diiujc beer.
They set off
together to a
wood at some
considerable
^^?^oe and drive
a nail into
a tree, swearing
at the same time
that they
^ drink no
beer while thai
nail remains in
thai tree. If
they get tired
of
abstinence they meet
together and set
off to draw
the nail, literally
pulling
*t.oat from the
tree, aJter which
they feel at liberty
to drink beer
again
^thout breaking their
vow.
DRAWBOARD, 5. hatting
term. An implement
used to press
out
of the
hat body the
superfluous stiffening. '
K)6
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2460)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
DRAW WATER, idiom,
a hazy moon
which betokens rain
is said
to be
drawing water. Kelsall.
DREE, adj.(i) tedious.
A dree
road is a
long, tedious road
that seems to
have no end.
When a
crop takes a
long time to
harvest by reason
of bad weather
it is aaid
to be
a dree
time.
(2) persistent.
A man
who is difficult
to deal with
is a dru
bargainer.
“He*s nor a
foo, although he
does na look
so very breet;
bar if
yo*n eawt do
wi* him, yo'n
foind him very
dru J*
(3) of
long continuance.
Heavy, continuous rain
is said to
be dree, Wilbraham
explains dnc
rain as "a
close, thick, small
rain;'* and I
have the same
meaning fron
DUKINFIBLD.
DREE, V, to
continue or hold
out. W.
DREELY, adv, continuously.
"It rains i/w/y."
DREVEN, s, a
draggletaiL
“What a dreven
thou art !" L.
DREYVE, V, to
drive. Wilmslow.
DRIFTSMAN, s. salt-mining
term. The foreman
having charge oT
the miners, and
setting out their
work. See Drift
(2).
DRIFT, 5. (i)
a drove of
cattle.
(2) salt-mining term. A
miner's length of
work,
measured out for
him to execute.
DRILL. See Chisel.
DRINK, 5. (i)
intoxicating liquor.
(2) a
dose of cattle
medicine.
“I'll send her
a drink "
says the farrier
when he comes
to prescribe for
a cow.
DRIP, V, to
drip a cow
is to milk
out the few
last drops that
have
secreted in the
udder a short
time after the
regular milking.
It used to
be the custom
for someone (frequently
a voung person
learning
to milk) to
follow the regular
milkers and drip
all the cows.
Many old-
fashioned farmers still
practice it; but
in too many
cases the good
old cnstom
is given up.
The person who
dripped the cows
did not sit
down, bat stood
and milk^ with
one hand holding
the can in
the other.
DRIPPING CAN, s.
a small can
in use for
dripping cows, being
easier to hold
in one hand
than an ordinary
milking caii»
which holds from
ten to twelve
quarts.
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2461)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. IO7
DRIPPINGS, X. the
last milk drawn
from a cow
(see Drip) ; much
licher than the
first milk.
The drippings were
generally put into
the cream mug
for churning, and
not amongst the
generd milk tor
cheese making. Th^
are also considered
a potent drink
for consumptive people
and weakly children.
DRIVE, V. to
procrastinate, to dawdle
over work, leaving
everything
till die last
minute.
DRIVING, part, dawdling,
putting everything off.
“Oo ne'er gets
her dishes weshed
till neet, oo*s
that drivingj'*
DRIVING LANE, s,
an occupation road.
DRONES, s. a
steelyard.
Hay is
always weighed upon
dronts which are
furnished with long
hooks
to hook into
the bands with
which the trusses
are tied. See
Truss Weight.
DROOK, s, the
grass Bromus secalinus. Plentiful, as
a weed,
amongst com, and
popularly believed to
be degenerated oats.
A labourer once
told me that
darnel {Lolium temuUntum)
only infested
wheat whilst drook
only infested oats,
and that darnel
was degenerated wheat,
aad drook d^enerated
oats.
DROOPING TULIP, s.
Fntillaria Meleagris.
DROOT, 5. drought
DROOTY, adj\ dry.
"Z>fw/|^ weather."
DROP, ^. (i)
a diminution of
wages.
"He*shada^r^/."
(2) intoxicating drink.
"Come and have
a drop "
b an invitation
to drink. “
I think he's
had
1 drop
" means that
a man is
half drunk. In
this case the
accent would be
00 the
words have^ had.
In (i) the
accent would be
on drop.
(3) a
considerable quantity.
“We*en had a
noice drop o*
rain."
DROP, V, (i)
to reduce wages.
“He's after dropping
us a shilling. "
(2) to
cease, to leave
off.
“Come, drop that
now."
(3) to
sow seed at
intervals.
^^ Dropping taters
" is putting
the sets in
the rows at
intervals ready for
coTcring with the
plough, or putting
them into the
holes made by
the
™>blc Dropping mangold
seed is sowing
at intervals in
holes.
DROP OUT, V.
to quarrel. Macclesfield.
DROPPING, adj. showery.
"A dropping time
" is showery
weather.
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2462)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
DROPPING HER SALT,
idiom, salt-making term.
The expression is
used when a
pan is making
salt freely. The
fonn on the
surface of the
brine and sink
to the bottom.
DROSS, s. salt-making
term. The refuse
or marl left
after dsi^-
solving rock-salt in
water.
DROVIER, s. a
drover.
DRUDGE-BOX, s. a
flour-dredger.
DRUM, s. salt-mining
term. A large
wheel on which
the flat-rop^:^
wind up.
The winding is
done entirely by
steam engines constructed
on tlae
reversing principle, and
so dexterous are
many of the
engineers that a
tal»
can be
set down to
such a nicety
as to cause
no concussion whatever.
DRUMBLE or DRUMBA,
s. a small
ravine, generally over-
shadowed with trees, and
having a little
stream or nmcUe
at the
bottom.
DRUMBOW-DASH. See Dumberdash.
DRUV, V. drove.
DRY, adj. (i)
thirsty.
(2) not giving
milk. Said of
cows.
DRY, V. to
cause the flow
of a cow's
milk to cease,
either by milking
at longer and
longer intervals, or
by bleeding the
cow, or by
giving medicinal agents.
DUB, V. to
clip a hedge.
DUBBED, part adorned,
ornamented, old word.
L.
DUBBIN SHEARS, s.
shears for clipping
a hedge.
DUBIOUS, adj. (i)
undecided.
(2) not trustful.
“Tm very dubious
abait ahr Tom.
It*s my belief
he*s getten
agate wi some
young woman, for
he*s donned his
Sunday shute twice
this wik."
Often pronounced DuBOUS
in Macclesfield.
DUCKl, z'. (i)
to stoop down,
to bend the
head. Also used
as a
reflective verb.
"Z>ttri6theedain."
(2) to
dip the head
in water.
DUCK MEAT, 5.
Lemna minora L.
The small green
plant which
grows on the
surface of stagnant
ponds. Digmeat (W.
Che&).
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. lOp
DUCKS AND DRAKES,
s. a bo/s
game.
A fiivoarite amusement
with boys, who
get flat stones
and skim them
tloQg the sur&ce
of water. They
try whose stone
will ricochet the
oftenest or "
make the most
i^is and draiesJ"
DUCKSTONE, s. a
bo/s game.
It is
thus played : Each
boy proyides himself
with a paving-stone, and
a
lazge boolder stone
is required upon
which one of
the paring stones
is
placed. After arranging
who shall be
"down" first, that
Ix^ places his
stooe upon the
boulder and stands
near it, and
the others, standmg
eight or
ten yards off,
bowl their stones
at it. They
then run to
pick up tl^
stones,
and the \xj
who is down
tries to tick
one of them
before he reaches
home.
He can
only tick another^if
his own stone
i? still upon
the boulder. If
it has
been knocked off,
he must replace
it before he
can tick. If
he manages to
tick
another, that boy
takes his place.
It is a
rough and somewhat
dai^;erous
game, but is
popular amongst Cheshire
schoolboys.
DUFF, f. dough.
Also Doff.
DUFF-CAKE, s, a
cake made of
dough. Macxtlesfield.
DUG, s. a
dog.
DUMBERDASH, s. (i)
a sudden and
heavy fall of
rain.
Leigh also gives
Dunderdash. Wilbraham has
it thus : *'
DuNGOW-OASH
or Drumbow-dash, v.
{sic) dun^, filth.
When the clouds
threaten hail or
lam it
is said, '
There is a
deal of pouse
or dungp-dtuh to
come-down.' "
(2) smash, breakdown. Mow
Cop.
DUMMY, s, hatting
terp[i. A wood
or iron implement
to press
down the curls
of hat brims.
DUN, V. do.
'* Dun yo}" do
you?
DUNCH, adj. deaf.
W.
DUNGOW-DASH. See Dumberdash.
DUN JOHN, s.
various species of
the grass Agroshs,
Probably so called
from the colour
which, when plentiful,
it gives to
the
fields. A labouring
man once told
me, however, that
he supposed the
name
was given to
it because it
indicated that the
land was "
done " or
run out,
i.e,f impoverished.
DUNNA, DUNNER, or
DUNNOT, v. do
not.
DUNNOCK, s. the
hedge sparrow, Accentor
modularis.
DUNNOT KNOW, v.
a frequent commencement of
an answer to a
question.
" How many children
hive you?" “Dunnot
knmv, but I
believe
I have
six." L.
DUNNY, adj. deaf.
Macclesfield, but not
in common use.
1 10
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2464)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
|)UR» s. a
door.
There is a
carioos prolongitioQ of
die r, bat
widioat any iq>pnnc
UUL
DURCRATCH, s. the
side of a
caxt
DUSNA, V. does
not
DUSTA, V. dost
thoa.
“Diuta hear?" or
as fireqnentlj ^'dost*
hear."
DUSTY HUSBAND, s.
the plant Cerastium
iomtmiasum, sc
quently used for
the edgings of
flower beds, Also
Arabis a
from ^e masses
of white flowers.
DUTCH, TO TALK,
v. to speak
angrily. Macclesfield.
"If tha does
that again, rUtdUt
Dutch to the."
DUTCH CHEESE, s.
fruit oi Maha
rotundifolia.
DU2^27Y, adj, slow,
heavy. W.» Leigh
adds Douzzy.
DWARF, s, occasionally applied .
to a person
who is deforme
any way; and
not particularly referring
to diminutive statun
The a
is pronounced as
in the word
"fiu."
DWINDLE, V. to
pine away as
a sickly plant,
or an unhe
animal does.
In Cheshire it
is considered voy
unlucky to bid
money for anything
y
is not
on sale. Someone
put a price
upon a woman's
pig at Little
Budu
"After that," she
said, " it
began to dimndU^
and would never
do no g
DYM SASSENACH, idiom,
the Welsh for
"I don't unders
English."
If a
man is slow
to take a
hint, we say,
" It*s Dym
Scusenach with I
It seems to
be equivalent to
the proverb '*
None so deaf
as those who
\
hear."
DYTCH, s. a
ditch. Mobberley.
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2465)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. Ill
E.
£AGy V, to
incite. Macclesfield.
EALE, s. ale.
W.
EAM or
EEM, v. to
spare time, to
have leisure.
“ I
cannot earn now." W.
Wilbraham gives this
as a Lancashire
word, bat Raj
{Ni^rtA Commirj
Words, E.D.S. Gloss.)
assigns it to
Cheshire. I think
it is now
obsolete.
EA.M or EEM,
adv. near at
hand, &t no
great distance.
From a
manuscript note in
Wilbraham's Glossary, apparently
written
about 1826.
EAMBY, adv. close
by, handy. W.
EARE, s. air.
Chester Plays, L
22. Halliwell.
EARNEST, s. money
given to fasten
a bargain.
The costom in
hiring farm servants
was, and no
doubt still is
in many
places, for the
servant to call
at the farm
where he or
she wanted a
place, a
liew weeks before
Christmas, and generally
at night, and
if the bargjun
was
stnck the £uiner gave
the man or
woman a shilling,
and this was
understood
to fasten the
servant for a
year. If anything
occurred to break
the engage-
nient the shilling
was sent back,
and if accepted
there was an
end to Oie
cogagement. When cattle-dealers buy
a beast which
they agree to
take
^^7 at
some future time
they always leave
a deposit, generally
a sovereign, as
& security for
the completion of
the transaction, and
in striking the
bargain
^«y generally try
to force this
deposit into the
farmer's hand whilst
bidding
what they profess
to be their
ultimatum, in order
to fasten the
farmer to his
skare of the
bargain; indeed they
always at the
same time make
use of the
ttpression, "Well now,
1*11 fasten you."
EARTH-NUT, s, Buniumflexuosum^ also
Pig-nut.
EASEMENT, s, (i)
a right which
one person has
on another man's
property without payment,
as right of
way,
right to obtain
water, &c. A
legal term in
general use, but
well understood in
Cheshire.
(2) relief to
one's mind. Macclesfield.
EASE POW. See
Aize Pow.
EASIN, 5. the
eaves of a
house. Also Aizin.
EASING SHEAF, s.
the easing sheaf
\% the beginning
of the roof
of
a rick, where
the sheaf is
made to project
beyond the wall
of the
rick, so as
to throw the
rain off, instead
of its trickling
down the
sides of the
rick. L.
112
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2466)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
EASY-MELCHED, adj. said
of a cow
that is easy
to milk— the
opposite quality b
Hard-mexched.
EATING WATER, s.
drinking water.
EAWT, X. anything.
'* If
we wanten tawt
and conna pay,
we done bight"
If this maxim
were always followed
there would not^be
so many bankrqits.
EAVER or EEVER,
s. a quarter
of the heavens.
The wind b
in the lainy
taver, W.
EB, prop, name^
short for AbrahauL
Wilmslow. Also Yeb.
EBB, adj. shallow.
Shallow water is
M, A drain
cat not very
deep]^is said to
be M,
EDDER FEEDER, 5.
adder feeder, a
common name for
the
gadfly. L.
EDDERINGS, s. radlings
in a hedge
are so called.
W.
Radlings are explained
as long sticks
twisted tc^ether.
“Saue edder and
stake
Strong hedge to
make."
TussER (E.D.S. ed.,
p. 73).
EDDICK, s, the
bur or burdock.
Arctium Lappa^ also
Errick.
EDDISH, K after
erass
EDDITCH, ) ^'
^^ ^^^'
The word by
itself is confined
to the second
growth of meadow
grass, and
is not
applicable to clover.
The aftergrass of
clover is generally
spoken of
as the
“ second crop/*
but if pastured
it is sometimes
distinguished sls
*^ cXaw^T eddish
"
EDDISH CHEESE, 5.
cheese made whilst
the cows are
eating
eddish.
EDDISH HAY, s.
hay made of
the aftergrass.
EDDY, s, an
idiot. Halliwell.
Leigh says An
Eddy or A
Neddy, of which
word it^may be
a diminutive
or a
corruption.
EDER, s. a
hedge. L.
See Edderings.
EDGE, s. a
long hill. Alderley
Edge, Jackson Edge,
Cobden
Edge.
EDGE, V. to
make room, to
go aside.
“Canna thee edge
a bit ?"
EDGEGREN, 5. eddish.
Used in an
old account book,
dated 1656. Edgegren
is probably a
mis-
print for “ Edgegrew,”
as the word
" Edgrew "
is still in
use at Mow
Cop.
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2467)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. II3
EI>GE O'DARK, s.
evening twilight EDGE
O'NEET, Maccles-
HELD.
EDGREW, s. aftermath. Mow
Cop.
EDTHER BOWT, s.
the dragonfly.
EK, s.
eye; plural Een.
Mid-Ches.
EIEK, V. to
itch. Yeuk or
Yoke, is the
itch. L.
EELi, V. (i)
to cover in;
to season an
oven when first
made. L.
(2) to
aiL W. Ches.
“Whatever ^^/f ye?"
EEJM, V. see
Eam.
EKM, adv. near.
L. Cf. Aimer.
EYNE I
^* P^^^™ ®^
^y^'
EEKD, X. end.
KBINE, s. the
long part of
a spade handle.
Middlewich.
EppiGIEiS, s. a
hatchment (which comes
firom
"atchievement").
In a
bill of church
accounts in the
Middlewych Church Book,
in 1701, is
a charge: “
To removing the
efflgUs of the
old Lady Buckley." L.
^GER, prop. name,
a portion of
Astmoor Marsh in
the township of
Halton is called
"The Eger^^ in
old maps.
This marsh is
covered by the
river Mersey at
high tides. In
Peacock's
Lincolnshire Glossary (E.D.S.
C. 6) Eger
is explained as
"the high tidal
-wave of the
Trent and Ouse."
According to Kennett
(Halliwell) “any
sudden inundation of
the sea is
called an eger
at Howden in
Yorkshire." I
take it therefore
that the name
of this portion
of Astmoor Marsh
has been
given because it
is so frequently
inundated.
^GG or
EGG ON, v,
to urge on,
to incite.
^GGED ALE, 5.
Egg Flip, drunk
at Easter in
the neighbourhood
of WiLMSLOW.
^GG PLANT, 5.
the snowberry, Symphoricarpus racemosus.
^GGS AND BUTTER,
s. the buttercup.
Ranunculus acris, and
R. bulbosus.
EGYPTIAN THORN, s.
Cratagus Pyracantha.
^LBOW GREASE, 5.
hard work.
Leigh gives, in
illustration of this
word, an amusing Cheshire
proverb,
which he says
is as old
as 1670, *'
She has broken
her elbow at
the church
door,” said of
a woman who,
as a daughter,
was a hard
worker and did
not
• spare her
elbonu grease^ but
who, after marriage,
became lazy and
indolent.
One hears it
said sometimes that
there is nothing
like elbcrM grease
for
polishing a table.
I
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(tudalen 114)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2468)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
ELDER, s. the
udder of a
domestic animal.
ELLrRAKE, s. a
large rake with
curved iron teeth
drawn behi
the raker. Sometimes
it is pulled
by two persons.
Ell z^
Rake (Delamere).
ELLER, s. the
elder-tree, Sambucus niger,
Lei^h says, "
It is supposed
to be anlucky
to use the
elder for kindl^S.
or lightmga fire."
ELLO, intery. an
exclamation of astonishment.
ENDWAYS ON, adv.
endways. Macclesfield.
ENOO, adv. enough.
Enow, Hyde.
EPPINS, s. stepping
stones. Delamere.
ERDNOW, V. I
don't know.
Leigh gives the
following story: "F.
L. Olmstead, in
his Walks ontT'
Talks of an
American Farmer in
England^ was more
than once dumb-
American gave it
up in despair
and passed on.*'
A very good
story, but I
think the lad
was more likely
to have said
" Aw dunna
know." The word
is scarcely worth
recording, but I
enter it simply
as extracted from
Leigh's
Glossary.
ERRICK. See Eddick.
ERRIF, s. goose-grass. Galium
Aparine. Middlewich, and
generally throughout S.
Ches.
ERRIWIG, s. an
earwig. Macclesfield.
ESHIN, s. SL
large can for
carrying milk from
the shippon to
the
house.
Wilbraham has Eshin
or Ashin, apail;
and adds, '*
They are, I
believe,
alwavs made of
ash wood." I
still, now and
then, see wooden
milk pails in
use, but tin
cans have almost
superseded the old
wooden vessels. The
word
is often pronounced
“ Heshin," and
I have seen
it so spelt
in auctioneers'
catalogues, but I
think Eshin is
the more correct
word.
ESHINTLE, s. an
eshin full
ES-LINK, s. a
small piece of
iron shaped like
a letter S,
used for
mending a broken
chain.
ESS, s, ashes.
Ray illu
ashes from the
embers." I am
not aware that
Skber is now
in use.
Ray illustrates the
word thus: '"Skeer the
esse,* separate the
dead
frc "*
ESS-GRID, s, a
grating which covers
a hole in
the hearth, called
an esS'hole.
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2469)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. II5
EISS-HOLE, s, an
ash-hole under the
grate.
A very
common and useful
arrangement in Cheshire
kitchens. A hole
about two feet
lon^ by eighteen
inches wide, and
eighteen inches deep,
is
made in the
hearth; this is
covered bv a
moveable grid or
grating. The
dnders which fall
from the fire
are laked backwards
and forwards over
the
grating, and all
the small ashes
or ess fall
through into the
receptacle beneath,
kaving the larger
cinders to be
put on the
fire and burnt
over again. The
ess or
ashes are carried
away periodically from
the ess-holt.
Ess-hoU is often
used metaphorically for
the fire itself.
"Eh, woman!
Ah set
wi' my knees
i' th* ess-hole
aw day long,"
said one old
dame to
another after a
spell of extra
cold weather, "an
it was one
body's wark to
put coal on."
Leigh illustrates the
word by the
saying, " Oo*s
rootin in the
ess-hole aw
dee," which, I
take it, means,
*' She*s always
sitting over the
fire."
E^SS-MIDDEN, s. a
heap of ashes.
KSS-RIDDLE, s, a
cinder riddle or
sieve.
KSS-ROOK, s. a
dog or cat
that likes to
lie in the
ashes. Maccles-
HELD.
HT£, V. perfect
tense of eat.
ETHER or HETHER,
5. an adder
or snake. Middlewich,
Delamere.
ETTEN, part, eaten.
ETWALL, s. the
green woodpecker, Picus
viridis. L., quoting
from Leycester (?
Sir Peter Leycester).
EVER, adv. at
the present moment.
*' Have you
ewr a shilling
as you could
lend me?"
The above explanation
is scarcely satisfactory. The
word is in
constant
use, but seems
to add no
force to a
sentence. The illustration will,
however,
show how it
is used.
£VER50, adv. in
any case, however
much.
“ I
would na give
it him, if
it was ever
so,"
£VERY WHILE STITCH,
idtom. every now
and then; at
times. W.
EXPECT, V. to
suppose, to believe.
A word
in very frequent
use.
EXTORTION, V. to
cheat, to charge
exorbitantly.
*'I would not
give it him,
for I thought
he only wanted
to
extortion me."
The word used
as a verb
occurs in Gower's
Conf, Amantis, Bk.
VII.,
^l iii., p.
159.
“ For,
when he doth
extordon.
Men shall not
finden one of
tho
To gracche or
s]>eke there agein,
But nolden up
his oile, and
sain,
That all is
well that ever
he doth."
Il6
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(tudalen 116)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2470)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
EYABLE, €tdj, pleasing
to the eye.
“Th* garden is
more eyable than
it were."
EYE, s. (i)
a brood of
young pheasants is
called an "^^
of pheasant:
but I
think the term
is almost general,
though Lei
gives it as
a Cheshire word.
The correct word
“a ny,^' See
Halliwell, s. v.
Ni.
(2) a
meadow or piece
of ground near
a river, pan
surrounded by water.
At Chester we
find the "
Roodee " and
the " Earl's
Eye:' We hav
brook called the
"Peover Eye^^* which
seems to suggest
that eyt is
synonym of a
brook. L.
(3) a
small cesspool built
at the mouth
of a drain
to cat
the sediment or
wreck, which would
otherwise cha
up the
drain.
(4) the bud
of a potato.
EYEBRIGHT, s. the
plant Euphrasia officinalis, W.
Ches.
EYE-HOLE, s. the
depressions in a
potato from which
the ba
spring.
"Skerries is wasty
taters, they*n getten
sich deep eye-hoUs;
1
if yo
keepen pigs, it
does na so
mitch matter." (Because
the p
can eat the
peelings, and prevent
the waste.)
EYES, s. holes
full of rancid
liquid seen in
badly-made, poor chees
Farm servants, when
not satisfied with
the food that
is given to
them, s
accustomed to say
—
“Brown bread and
mahley pies,
Twiggen Dick full
o* eyes.
Buttermilk instead o*
beer;
So I'll be hanged if
I stay here."
The above is
the Middlewich version.
About Wilmslow it
varies slightly-
“ Barley bread
and barley pies,
Twiggen Dick and
full of eyes,
Sour milk and
smaw beer,
Maks me stop
no lunger here."
But the saying
being current in
such distant parts
of the county
shows that
is a
weU-known colloquism. See
Mahley and Twiggen
Dick.
EYE SARVANT, s.
said of a
screw cheese press
which, if n
constantly watched and turned, will
not work. — Cheshire Shec
voL i., p.
26.
EYREN, s, iron.
EYEY, adj, badly
made cheese is
said to be
eyey when it
contai
holes full of
rancid whey. See
Eyes.
EYNE, s. plural
of eye. See
Ee.
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2471)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 11/
F.
FAC, s. a
name for soil.
L.
I have
never met with
this word, and
am inclined to
think it is a misprint
for Fas. See
Fee.
FACE CARDS, s.
court cards in
a pack. Macclesfield.
Fade, s. mould
in cheese; more
frequently called Green-fade.
FADGE, s, a
lump, a heap,
a quantity of
anything.
“ A
greet /oi^e" Mow Cop.
FAIGH, i» refuse
soil, stones, &c
L.
FAIN, adj. glad.
“Au were rare
and fain as
he got th'
job an* not
me." [Said by
a man
who had escaped
doing some disagreeable task,
another having been
selected
for the work.
FAIN, adv. gladly.
“Vd/ain do it."
N. E. Chbs.
FAINTY HAITCHES, s.
slight indisposition. Delamere. See
ArrcH.
FAIR-FAW, idiom, expressing
a preference for
a person. Wilmslow.
“Fatr'faw Johnny; he*s
best lad o'
th* two; au
con get him
to work a
bit/* that is,
eive me Johnny
in preference to
someone else named.
In
common use fifiy
years since, but
becoming obsolete.
FAIRIES' PETTICOATS, s.
the foxglove. Digitalis
purpurea,
FAIRIES' TABLE, s,
the plant Hydrocotyle
vulgaris,
FAIR LADY, s,
a kept woman.
FAIRLY, adv. properly,
thoroughly, completely.
“ Aw^m
fairly done," /.^.,
Fm completely knocked
up.
FAIRLY-LOOKING, adj, good-looking.
*• Oo*s ^fairly-lookin woman."
FALL, s, the
autumn. Macclesfield.
FALL, V, (i)
to fell; we
always speak oi
falling timber; ox
falling a
hedge.
(2) to
be disintegrated, as
lime by exposure
to moisture,
or clay by
exposure to frost.
(3) to
let fall.
“Now, mind you
doiCtfaw it.”
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2472)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
FALLATIC, also PALATTIC,
adj. paralytic. L.
Leigh states that
the word was
used at the
Cheshire Asazes, but
does not
say whether used
by a Cheshire
man. It appears
to be merely
a mispro-
nunciation of what was
evidently a difficult
word for the
speaker.
F.ALL-G ATE, 5. a
gate across the
high road. Macclesfield Forest.
FALLOW, V. io
fallow land is
to plough it
very^ shallow, so as
just
to turn over
the sod..
It is
allowed to lie
thus for some
time, in order
that the sod
may be
partially rotted before
being buried deeper
with a second
ploughing.
FAN, X. an
old-^hioned implement for
winnowing com.
It consists of
a frame of
Wood to which
four horizontal rails
are fixed* and
pieces of sacking
are nailed to
the ndls. This
framework b eleviU«d
upon
legs, and is
turned round with
a handle. The
pieces of sacking
cause a con-
siderable wind as they
pass quickly through
the air. The
com is dxof^jed
through a riddU
in front of
the machine, when
the chaff is
blowa away, aad
the grain falls
in a heap below.
I have not
seen a frm,
I think, for
nearly
twenty years, but
there are, doubtless,
stiU some in
use in remote
oountiy
places.
FAN, V. to
winnow com with
a fan.
FANCICLE, adj\ fanciful,
crotchetty.
<* Oi've no
patience wi ahr
Emma, oo's sitch
a Jdncick piece
o'
goods. Oo wouldna
tee a shaw
o'er er yed,
though th' run
were
coming dain that
dree it wetted
through everything; but
oo*s that
pride.
FANTEAG, s. a
fit of ill-temper. Macclesfield.
FANTOME, adj:{\) poor,
Hght.
Light com is
cs^tidi fantome com.
Wilbraham says fitniome
hay is light,
well-gotten hay. My
idea of fantome
hay is light,
poor hay from
poor eronnd,
which has very
little feeding quality.
I have often
been told, "We
can*t
expect 'em to
milk much on
this hay, it's
but fantome,”
(2) weakly.
Horses are said
to ht/antome in
autumn. — Cheshire Sheaf, voL
L, p. a66.
FARAND or FARRAND, s.
manner, custom, appearance.
We
have o\di-farand: farantly :
to do things
in the right
or wrong
farand, W.
FARE, V. (i)
to begin.
When a
cow is beginning
to calve it
is always said,
“Oo fares o*
CBwnx^"
(2) to
track footsteps.
There's bin a
lot o' rappits
1' th' garden,
I can fart
'em i' th*
1(1
snow.
FAREN, V. plural
of fare (in
the sense of
being provided for).
“Theyy&r«f weel, nah
th* owd mon's
djed."
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. II9
FARGE, s, (i)
B, gossip. L.
(2) an
intruder or spy.
Macclesfield.
“Th' mester^ a
reglar owd /ara^
he actilly coom
i* th' back
kitchen yesterday and
cainted up th
nibbin stones."
FARGE, V. (i)
to gossip. L.
(2) to
loiter about or
waste time. Stockport.
FARRANTLY, FARRINTLY (Delamere)), FARRINKLY
(DuRiNFiELD, Macclesfield, Wilmslow),
adj. good-lQoking.
“Oo's tifarrinkly wench,
that 00 is."
FARTHER, expressive of
repugnance.
I will
be farther if
I do that,
means, I will
never do it.
W.
FARTHIN-6AG, s, the
second stomach.of a
cow. Rainow.
FASH, ^. (i)
the tops of
turnips or mangolds.
(2) nonsense.
“Dtinna talk rich
loikeySvA."
FASH, V. (i)
to trouble, tease,
shame, or cast
down. W.
(2) to
cut off the
tops of turnips.
Fashing tnmips is
^nerally done by
piecework, at about
one halfpenny
per score yards
of a drill.
FASHIOUS, adj, unfortunate, shameful,
troublesome.
FAST, part, (i)
embarrassed.
'* I've getten
fast among it,
some road."
Leigh gives this
illustration, but every
Cheshire man must
have heard it.
(2) prevented by
business or other
engagements.
FAST BY ONE
END, a good
example of a
Cheshire answer,
which is seldom
yea or nay,
simply (see Believe).
“Have you cut
your hay ?"
“ ICb fast
by one end^
Which proves that
the hay is
not cut, nor
at present liable
to injury from
the wet, as
the hay is
that is mown.
L.
FASTEN, V. (i)
to sue at
law. Macclesfield.
•* Wl
fasten the," U,^
111 take the
law of you.
(2) to
bind a bargain.
A butcher, in
making what he
wishes you to
consider his highest
bid,
generally tries to
thrust a piece
of money into
your hand, at
the same time
saying, "Well, now,
Wl fasten you."
FASTENED, /af/. prevented; otherwise
occupied. Macclesfield.
*' I
shall yat fastened
to-morrow, and canna
come."
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
FASTENS, s, (i)
fiastenings for doors
or windows.
*' To
repairing and maidng/as/ens to
windows, 4s. 8d."
—Blacksmith's Bill, dated
July, i
This might be
considered merely an
illiterate error were
it not t'
word is constantly
used throughout. the whole
of Cheshire.
(2) Shrove Tuesday,
also called '^Fas/ens
Tuesd
A seed
cake used to
be the feast
on this day
instead of pancake
present Langley mentions
Fastincham Tuesday. L.
The above is
evidently extracted from
Halliwell, who does
not, he
say that the
word is used
in Cheshire.
FAT HEN, s,
various species of
goosefoot, Chenopodium,
FAUF, s, a
flea. Delamere.
FAUGH, X. fallow.
W.
FAWER, X. favour.
FAWER, V, to
resemble.
“Thou fawers the
fayther."
FAW, 5. and
v, fall.
FAW ART, V,
to fall out,
to quarrel.
FAWN,/af/. fallen.
FAWN-FECKAS or FAWN-FECKLES, also
FAWN-PECK
freckles.
It is
said thsX fawn-feckUs
come on the
face when birds
begin to U
'eegs, as if
there were some
supposed connexion between
the brown s{
birds* eggs and
those on the
face. The following
couplet is also
currc
“ Fawn-peckas once made
a vow
They ne*er would
come on a
face that was
fow."
FAWSE, adj. (i)
cunning, quick-witted.
“Oo*s iifawse little
thing; 00 knows
her daddy's footste
ever he comes
inside o' th'
dur."
(2) false.
FAWT, s. 2L
fault.
s, the
surface soil in
contradistinction to the
sub-so
FAY,
FEE,
FEATH,
Amongst turf-getters the
Aassocks, stake-turf^ and
other matten
overlie the turf
proper, constitute ^tfeath,
FAY or
FEE, v, to
remove the surface
soil, in order
to rea<
underlying sand, marl,
gravel, or whatever
the subsoil may
FAYTHER, 5. father.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 121
FEABERRY, s. the
gooseberry, I^ides Grossularia.
This name is
common enough in
Lancashire, but is
becoming obsolete in
Cheshire, though it
would appear to
have b^n once
commonly used, for
Gerard says, *'
the name is
used in Cheshire,
my native county.*'
A few old
people use it
about Macclesfield.
FEAL, V. to
hide slily.
•* He
thsii/Mls can find. " L.
FEAR, V, to
frighten.
“ To/ear crows
" is to
firighten rooks off
the cornfields.
FEAR<^ROW, s. a
scarecrow. Hence any
unsightly object.
FEARIN, s. a
ghost
FEART, adj\ cowardly.
FEART,/flf/. frightened.
FEATH. See Fay.
FEATHERFEW, s. the
plant Pyrethrum Partheniutn,
FEBOO-AIRY, s> the
usual way of
pronouncing February.
FEBRUARY FILL DYKE.
^^ February fill
dyke.
Whether black or
white."
Leigh gives this
as a Cheshire
expression.
FECK or FECKS,
an exclamation. W.
FEE See Fay.
FEERN, f. fern.
FEG, s. after
grass; the same
as Fog. Middlewich.
FEIGHT (almost pronounced
like/i/^ FOIGHT. v.
to fight.
YmVi FOR, V,
provide for.
“ Aye,
I can assure
you, miss, it's
hard work. Yo
seen I have
for ^
fend for ahr
Emma's three childer,
nah oo*s djed
an gone."
FENDIN AND PROVIN,
idiom, arguing about
trifles.
•* Donna thee
ston theerfendin andprovin,
but get to
thi wark."
FENT, s, a
remnant of linen
or calico ; generally
what is cut
off a
"piece" of "cloth
" to reduce
it to the
orthodox length.
In the
bleaching process, or
rather the beetling
process, cloth becomes
a
good deal stretched,
and there are
thus obtained too
many yards, which
are
cot oft Fents
are sold remarkably
cheap, and the
sale of them
constitutes
a distinct trade.
They are frequently
exposed for sale
on stalls in
the
country-town markets, and
another remarkable thing
is that they
are
generally sold by
weight.
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2476)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
FEOFF, f. a
flea. S. Ches.
FERMENT, v, to
foment
FERRET or FERRET
AHT, v. to
investigate, to find
out.
"Yo mxiX. ferret
it aht, dun
yo?"
FERRIER, i. salt-mining
term; one who
ferries or conveys
the?
rock salt from
the workings to
the shaft
FERRUPS, exd. almost
synonymous with "deuce." MACCLEsnELD.
“What the/rrrtf/f are
you about?"
FERRY, s, salt-mining
term; to convey
rock salt from
the workingii
to the
shaft.
FERRY-BOAT, s, 2l
jocose name for
the thin, shallow,
woodoi
bowl used for
skimming cream off
milk.
If cheese is
poor it is
sometimes said, '*
TW ferry-boat has
been too often
aaoss th* cheese-tub."
FESTERMENT, j. (i)
confusion; entanglement
“ h
festerment o* weeds. "
(2) annoyance, vexation.
L.
FETCH, V. to
give, in the
sense of giving
a blow.
“1^^ fetched im
a crack aside
o* th' yed."
FETCH ONE'S BREATH,
v, to breathe
with difficulty; to
gasp.
“He could hardly /r/M
his breath."
FETTLE, s. order,
repair, condition.
A word
of very wide
signification. A road
which has been
recently
repaired is in
gooA fettle, A
person who is
extremely well b
in gwAfetile;
so is
an animsd which
is fat.
FETTLE, z/. (i)
to mend, to
put in order.
(3) to
chastise.
A mother will
threaten her child,
" V\\ fettle
thee."
(3) to
sharpen knives for
the fustian-cutters. Lvmm.
(4) to
mull ale or
porter.
FETTLED ALE, s.
ale mulled with
ginger and sugar — much relished
in Cheshire with
toasted cheese. Porter
is also fettled
in the
same manner.
FETTLER, s, one
who sharpens the
knives of the
fustian cutters.
Lvmm, Latchford.
FEVERFEW, i. the
plant Erythrcea Centaurium^
much used in
rustic medicine as
a stomachic or
tonic.
FEW, V. flew,
perfect tense of
the verb to
fly. W.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 23
FEW, adj. not
only a small
number, but also
a little quantity. W,
\/rw btoth."
TliU is sutcel)'
Ihe correct explanalion. Broth,
porridge, rurmetr^, &c.,
RDDLE-FA,DDLE, v. to
trifle, to dawdle.
Macclesfield.
FIDDLER'S ELBOW, idiom,
any very crooked
job or thing
is said
tobe " like
a fiddler's elbow."— CAu/h"« Sheaf,
vol. L, p.
83.
FIDDLERS- MONEV, s.
very small change.
FIDCE, I. 3
fidget, a restless
person. Macclesfield,
FIGA8IES, s. fanciful
attire, such as
a superabundance of
ribbons,
flweri, &c^ Macclesfield.
FIGHTING COCKS, s.
the flower stalks
of Flanlago lanceolata,
Tbej are used
for plajdng a
game in the
same manner as
chestmils are
odio Ihe game
of Cosqubrors (which
see). Esch combulanl
gathers ■
tendi of plkintains,
and ihey by
turns oHer a
plantain to be
struck at, or
nikt that of
iheir adversary. The
one who stnkcs
off all the
beadi of hii
^^oii'! buDch — that is,
the one who
holds the last
unbroken plantain —
WBllie gune.
m.«EARD, s. the
filbert nut.
T^UMi menljons "JUUards, red
anil white," amongtt
" trees or
fniitea la
kfHnr remoooed'' in January,
The "red or
white," I suppose,
refers to
*o wiietiB, difimng
in the colour
of the skin
of the kernel,
one of which
it
[■ttb, the other
whitish. I have
seen both kinds
in Cheshire, and
have
Wd via
that the variety
with red skins
is the besl.
■lUOW, s. the
part of a
gate hinge which
is driven into
the gate.
Ii hangs on
the hook or
gudgeon, which is
the part driven
into the
pieiliimp, or hangpoU.
liLLERS, s. salt-making
term. The men
who fill the
salt into
~ '^
when salt is
packed in that
manner for transmission.
■K-LET, I. a
broad band of tin used
for raising the
sides of a
dieoe vat when
the curd is
first put to
press. As the
curd,
sakiwiih pressure, the
fillet sinks with
it into the
vat.
fUlILOO, tsd. the
meaning of which
I am totally
unable to
opltio. Macclesfield.
“AyK,fiUiJi>e, ahr Sal's
goin be wed." See
FoiN (a),
UMART, FILMUT, or
FOOMART. s. a
polecat.
™Di P.
to provide with
food.
Td "fimJ one's
self" is to
provide one's own
food. In hiring
a farm
■tm vbo *w
nol lo live
in his master's
house, it 1
" ' '
"
■■Utokavisomach wages "and^W himself."
iUpuialed It
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2478)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
FINE JOHN, s,
the grass AgrosHs
vulgaris,
FINGER-STALL, s. a covering for
a sore finger;
usually made
cutting off the
finger of an
old glove.
FINNIKIN, adj. fastidious.
FINS, s, all
the bones of
a fish are
so called. Macclesfield.
FIR-BOB, s. a
fir cone.
FIRE, V, to
set fire to
an3rthing.
To “Jire a
chimbley " is
to set fire
to it to
burn out the
soot.
FIRK, z;. (i)
to root, to
scratch. Mow Cop.
(2) to
fidget. Mow Cop.
FIRST BEGINNING, s.
the beginning. A
piece of tautolog
very common use.
FIRST END, s.
the beginning. L.
FIRST OF MAY,
s, the meadow
saxifrage, Saxifraga granulati
FIRST-PIECE, s. the
ridge piece of
roof timbers, against
which
upper ends of
the spars are
placed.
FIR-WOOD, s. the
same as what
is now called
Bog-wood, which
“In [the mosses]
is found much
of that wood
we caMJirrTvood, v
serves the country-people for
candles, fewel, and
sometimes for small
tir
uses; and this
the vulgar conclude
to have layn
there since the
floo<
Nantwich, PhiL Trans,
y vol. iv.,
p. 106 1.
Firwood is still
obtained from Macclesfield Moss,
and sold in
the t
but not now
to any great
extent. Formerly the
cry, “ Firwood,
Firw
was frequently heard
in Macclesfield.
FISHERY SALT, j.
salt-making term. Coarse
salt made spec
for curing fish.
FISSES, s. plufal
of fist.
FISTLE, s. a
thistle. Mobberley.
FITCHES, s. vetches,
Vicia sativa.
FITCHET, s. a
pole-cat.
A dark
ferret is called
“y2^r^^/-coloured." — Cheshire
Sheaf, voL i.,
p.
FITCHET CAT, s,
a black cat
marked with brown
patches u
the black. Delamere.
They are highly
valued.
FITCHET-PIE, s, a
pie composed of
apples, onions, and
ba
formerly served at
harvest-home suppers.
EITHER, s. a
feather. Mid-Ches.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 25
FITS AND GURDS,
idiom, fits and
starts. Bucklow Hill,
Knutsford, Warford.
"The clock strikes
h^ fits and gurds,*^
FITTER, V. to
move the feet
quickly, as children
do when in a
passion. W.
FIZGIG, X. anything
shaggy, like a
head of hair
which bristles in
all
directions.
FLABBERGASTER, v, to
perplex.
FLACKET, s, a
small board behind
a cart. L.
FLACKEY, s. a
chaffinch, Fringilla cadebs.
Dukinfield.
FLAG, s. salt-mining
term \ a
very hard kind
of marl found
near the
first bed of
rock salt
FLAG, V, to
fade.
FLAKE, s. (i)
a hurdle.
(2) hatting term;
a small wicker
grating used for
collecting the bowed
wool. Hyde. See
Bow.
(3) a
wooden frame hung
from the ceiling
by cords,
used for drying
oat-cake, &c. Bredbury.
EI-AKE> V, to
lie horizontally. Wilmslow.
To Jlaks on
the grass is
to lie down
on the grass.
One who is
lazy in the
morning and will
not get up
is described as
'* \y\ngjlaking Y
bed."
^LAM, v. to
humbug, or deceive.
, *
* He*s ony
Jlammin, "
^LAMS, s. humbug.
“ Nah
then, none of
xhyjlams,'^
FLANGE, V, to
flange out, to
spread, diverge, to
increase in width
or breadth. W.
(Scarcely local.)
FLANNIN, s. flannel.
^LAP.JACK, s, a
tea crumpet. Macclesfield, but
not in very
general use.
rLAPS, X. expanded
mushrooms.
FLASH or PLASH,
s. a shallow
piece of water.
The word often
occurs in place
names. There is
a field in
Mobberley
called " The
Flash" and one
in Halton called
" Flash Quarter." There
is
^ an
old public-house at
Butley, near Macclesfield, now
known as the
"Orange Tree," but
which old people
speak of as
" The Flash"
126
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2480)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
FLASH, V. to
put small sheets
of lead under
the slates, of
aiiouse
where they join
the chimneys, or
a wall, to
prevent the rain
running into the
joint.
FLASKER, V, to
flounder about or
to struggle.
*'Flaskeriug i'th* wayter."
A bird
caught in a
net is said
to be “Jiaskirittg to
get eawt" Also
Flusker.
FLASKERT, /ar/. (i) bewildered,
also Fluskert.
“For goodness sake,
childer, howd yer
din, aw'm USafaskert
wi'
th* nize.'^
(2) choked, smothered.
A person lying
in the mud
and unable to
extricate himself is
said to be
JUukered, See Wilbraham,
sub. v. Flasker.
FLAT, 5. a
broad flat bed
as distinguished from
a narrow rounded
butt.
We speak of
ploughing a field
in flcUs when
there is no
indication of
nens. Wheat is
generally sown on
butts, oats on
fiats, A wide
space
covered by any
particular crop is
called 9i.flai, as
*^9kflai o* taters."
FLAT-FINCH, s. the
brambling. L.
FLAT ROPE, s,
salt-mining term; the
rope used in
dratving or
winding rock salt
They are flat
and about six
inches wide.
FLATTER DOCK, s,
a name given
to several large-leaved plants
which float on
the water, especially
the two kinds
of waterlilies,
Nymphaa alba and
Nuphar lutea. Also
the water form
of
Polygonum amphibium^ and,
according to Wilbraham,
Potamogeton
nutans,
FLAY or FLEE,
v, \.oflay clods
is to pare
off sods of
grass.
FLEAK, s, a
small bundle of
hay; not a
truss.
FLECK, s, (i)
a flea (general),
FLEF (Wilderspool, Mioole-
wich), FLETH (Macclesfield).
(2) the fur
of a rabbit
FLECK, z;. (i)
to catch fleas.
A witness at
the Assizes, who
came to prove
an alibi, said
she knew some
circumstance had happened
at the particular
time, "because her
£ather had
gone up \.o fleck
the bed." L.
(2) to
fly; also Fleg,
Flick (Wilbraham), and,
more
commonly, Flig.
FLECK MONTH, s.
March.
Because flecks (fleas)
are supposed lo
fly in March,
and therefore it
is
said bedroom windows
should never be
opened during that
month.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
FLEECES, s. layers
of hay in
a stack.
“Yo mun cui saaiejltica i'
th' bay." L,
FLEE-DOD, s. ragwort,
Stnedo Jacobixa. Halton.
Delamere.
FLEERED, pari, frightened. Wilderspool.
FLEET, s. an
assemblage of birds
when they come
to their feeding
ground or roostiog
quarters. Frodsham.
Lwge numberj of
wild duck and
other walerfowl nssemble
on Frodsham
Hush ID the
evening. Stxtrtsmen go
down to shoot
them, and speak
or il
u " wailing
Tor tht/Uel.
FLEETINGS, s. a
curdy cream produced
by boiling whey.
In lh<^ old-fashioned method
of cheese -making it
was always customary
to
boil the whey.
The Gtsl fiittingi
rose jual before
the whey came
to the boil.
Thete were the
richest, and were
skimmed off and
kept by themselves.
They were c»lled
■■cream-flcetings,"anil were
ehumed into butter.
As the
wbey bq^ lo
tioil hordei, a
somewhat coarser and
less cieamy kind
of
flcelings rose to
the surface. These
a\ia were skimmed
off, and were
used for
the fana men's
supper. A small
quantity of buttermilk
was then added
lo the
boiling wbey, which
caused a very
coone curdy kind
of fleeting^ to
rise, and
these were kepi
for feeding calves.
The whey was
boiled in a
large boiler
kip* fof the
purpose, and il
required almost constant
Stirling to prevent
the
ttcelings being burnt.
A stick with
a sma.ll iron
paddle at one
end, exactly
liVe a
weeding spud, was
generally used for
stirring the boiling
whey.
Flirtings aie very
seldom made now,
the whey being
set in pans
until the
creun nses to
the surface, when
it is skimmed
off and churned.
FLEET-MILK, s. according
to Wilbraham the
same as Fleetings.
FIEF, s. See
Fleck.
FLESH, V. tanning
term. To shave
off the flesh
which
the inside of
a hide.
FLESH-MEAT, s. butchers'
meal,
"We anna had
a bit o' Jltsh-meal aw
wik."
FLETH. See Fleck.
fLET-MILK. s. skim-milk. W.
PLIG or FLIGGE,
adj. spoken of
young full-fledged birds.
W.
•AGGERS, s. young
birds be^nning to
fly. L.
FLING, p. to
throw. ^Ve speak
of flinging a
stone and of
being
flung by a
horse.
, "Hit following
eKlraoidinary threat wa^
heard in Macclesfield lately-,
used
5!»<iiother to her
refractory offspring, "
If tha does
na leave of
sktikmg, I'll
A'VmyycdBl the."
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
FLIT, s, a
change of residence. Also
Flitting.
It is
said, '* Three yff/r
are as good
as (or as bad as)
a fire.'*
FLIT, V. to
remove from one
house to another.
FLITE or FLYTE,
v. to scold.
W.
FLIT-MILK, s. the
same as Fleetings. See
Fleetings.
“Fleetings or /7»/.»i*tt."— Holland's General
View of the
Agriculture pf
Cheshire (1808), p.
263.
FLITTING, s. See
Flit.
FLITTINGS, s. according
to Wilbraham the
same as Fleetings.
FLIZZE, s, the
skin which chips
at the insertion
of the nail.
Also
called “ step-mother's blessing." L.
FLOCK-BED, s. a
bed stuffed with
flocks instead of
with feathers,
held in great
contempt by many
old housekeepers.
*< Would ye
believe it, they
dressen up i*
silks and satms,
and
there's nowt hxsi
flock beds i*
th* wuU haise."
FLOCKS, s, locks
of wool or
cotton used for
stuffing beds and
pillows. They are
spoken of as
Woollen-flocks or Cotton-
flocks.
FLOMMUCKY, cidj, slovenly.
Macclesfield, but not
in veiy
common use. See
Slommakin.
FLOOK, V. to
mow in steps
or ridges like
a bad mower.
L.
FLOOR, s, the
ground generally, as
distinguished from any
eleva-
tion, and not a
boarded or regularly
made floor in
particular.
If anything were
spilt upon the
ground, it would
be spoken of
as
“ sheeded uppo*
^ floor^
FLOUGH, 5. a
flea; pronounced gutturally. W.
FLOUR CAKE, s,
a very favourite
cake about Macclesfield.
It is
made from a
small piece of
ordinary bread dough
rolled to the
size of
a plate, and
about an inch
thick, and then
baked on both
sides.
FLOWERING BOX, s,
Vaccinium VilisJdaa.
FLUEN or FLUIN,
part, thawing. Delamere.
"Th* i&in's fluin th*
frost”
There is a
road at Frodsham
called “Fluen Lane,”
but whether it
has
any reference to
the above word
I do not
know.
FLUE SALT, s,
salt-making term. The
waste salt formed
on the
flues where the
lumps are dried.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 29
FLUFF, s. (i)
any light downy
particles that float
in the air.
The
particles of cotton
which come off
new cloth.
"Aw neyer seed
sitch towels i'
my loife. Aw're
wiped these glasses
twenty toimes, and
aVll be hanged
if they annaaw
covered wCfiuffJ"
(2) a
flea. Macclesfield.
FLUKE, X. (i)
a fish, the
flounder.
(2) a
much esteemed variety
of kidney potato,
fast
dying out.
FLUMMERY, s. oatmeal
boiled in water
till it becomes
a thick
glutmous substance. W.
FLUMMUX, s, agitation. Knutsford.
FLURCH, s. a
great many, a
quantity.
“KJiurch o' strawberries. " L.
FLUSH, o^-. lavish.
FLUSHED, part, fledged.
FLUSKER,) ,, .
fl„_
FLUSTER, [^•^^^""^•
FLUSKERT, part, confused.
FLUTTER, 5. a
state of agitation.
“Aw*m aw of
aflutter,"
FLUTTER, V. to
confuse, to agitate.
FLY-FLAP, s, an
instrument used by
butchers to kill
blue bottle
flies, which generally
infest their shops
in hot weather.
It is
made of an
oval piece of
strong leather, six
to eight inches
long,
bound to the
end of a
stick.
FODDER CHEESE^ s.
cheese made before
the cows are
turned
out to
grass. L. That
is, when they
are being foddered
on
hay; the same
as Boose-cheese.
FOG, s. aftergrass;
or perhaps, more
correctly, the coarse
grass which
is left uneaten
in the autumn.
In West Cheshire
the £umers frequently
set fire to
this old, dead
grass
after the Bifarch
winds have dried
it, and it
is no uncommon
thing to see
whole fields hlaang.
CaUed Feg about
Middlewich.
FOGH, 5. Mow
ground. L.
FOIN, adj. (i)
fine, in all
its ordinary senses.
(2) smartly dressed.
“Asfnn as a
yew- (new-) scraped
carrot " is a
common expression used
to
describe any one
who has dre^ed
himself up smarthr
for any occasion.
Leigh
giires the expression
“ As fain
as Phililoo. See
Filliloo.
J
I30 CHESftlRfe GLOSSARY.
FOLK (sometinttes pronounced
Fowk), s. people.
“ There were
a ruck o*/owk
theer last neet."
FOO, s. fool.
The exact pronunciation is
difficult |p write
: it is
perhaps best er
by/gaw fxfaoo, "
He's a Y^omfeaw^
and that^i th*
worst /ww of aw
not uncommon saying.
FOO-GAWD, 5. a
fooPs gawd or
bauble. A foolish
plaything.
FOOLS PARSLEY, 5.
(Ethusa Cynapium. W.
Chks.
FOOMART or FOOMUT,
5. a polecat.
FOOMART CAT, a
tabby cat. Mobberley. See
Fitchei
FOOT, X. a
measure of length,
is the same
in the plural
\
singular.
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FOOT-ALE, s. ale
given by an
appr^tice to the
older workn
an entrance fee.
Very much the
same as FoonNa
Ma"
HELD.
FOOT-COCK, s. a
smaU haycock, made
by drawing a
portion
with a
rake towards the
haymaker, and then
turning it ov(
a fmUi
with the foot
and rake.
FOOTING, J, drink
money, paid by
one entering a
new tn
pursuit
A strainer going
to look over
any manufactory, such
as a silk
01
milt or a
^assvorks, for the
first time, b
expected to "pay
hisfoolM
b aho
my common, when
any new piece
of building is
begun, lor th<
people tv^ iiy
and induce the
owner to "set
a brick." Of
cours<
Ov«c$« be B
expected to pay
Yos/aatim^,
KX>ROAST, s; forethought
in contriTing any
work. Macclesi
FORCAST* r. to
contrive beforehand.
KV>RERAVS^ *. salt^making
term. The brickwork
imme<
under the mnt
of a pan.
FOREIGN ER» ^. a
stranger; but not
necessarily the inhabit
a Kv^nj|::n country.
Even a resident
in another parish
is
calk\i a foreign^.
la vvd
d^wmests beioi^;^ to
the Corporation of
Biacdesfieldy^
frvMa v>t)KV toviis
arf tre%)Qa:itly spoken
of as not
holding this or
that r
^V^RE-MlLK, i. the
first portion of
milk drawn from
a cow.
v\^RF MILK. r.
to milk the
fiist half of
a cow's milk
by ita
iSe )x::r.v>se of
seeding it to
market; the second
half, wh
TvVf . N»z^ wcained
for miking butter.
(2> op|^]isite, orer-aj^ainsL MxccLBsnELD.
^ He
$feS>r«<«««.<r «e aw
^* tnhie, boir
he never spoke
a
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. I3I
FORE-NOON, s. that
part of the
morning between breakfast
and
twelve o'clock.
KO RE-TOKEN, s, a
warning. Macclesfield.
FORGEE (g hard),
v. to forgye.
FORGEET, V. perfect
tense of forget.
FORGEN, V. perfect
tense or participle
of forgive.
"Sir ThiMp's /orgen him
three *ears* rent."
FORGETTEN, part, forgottea
FOR GOOD, idiom,
(i) for ever,
entirely, once for
all.
*' He's gpne/or
good," means he
is gone without
any intention of
coming
back.
(2) in
earnest — used principally when
axiy ga^e
is played for
stakes.
“Are we playing/or
goodV^ '* Ng;
]f t's play
for fun. *'
^ORINK, adj, foreign.
Maccl£SFI£ld.
*• He's gone
to live '^
forink parts. "
FORINKERS, s, foreigners. JE.
Ches.
PORNICATE, v. to
invent lies. Macclesfield.
FORNICATOR, i. one
who invents lies.
Macclesfield.
^ORRARD, adj, forward,
but generally used
\vl the sense
of eaxly.
"A ySiirrar^ spring" is
an eajrly spring,
^^^orrard taters" are
early
potatoes.
FORTHER, adj, foremost.
“l^forthtr feet want
shoeing badly."
“He's lame of
\iv& farther feet."
The word occurs
many times in
old documents belonging
to the Cor-
poration of Macclesfield.
^ORTHINK, V. to
repent. Macclesfield.
A woman addressing
her very hard
landlord said to
him, "Well, master,
I
ony hope as
yo may live
io fSrthink them
words as yo'n
said to me
to-day."
FCrtHOUGHT, s, repentance. W.
FORYED, s. the
forehead. Macclesfield.
FOT, V. perfect
tense of fetch.
FOTCH, V, fetch.
MOTHER, f. fodder.
MOTHER, V. to
give fodder to
cattle.
132
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
FOTHER-BING or FODDER-BING, s.
a passage in
front of the
cows in a
shippon, in which
fodder is kept,
and from which
the
cows are foddered.
Occasionally FOTHER-BAY. Mobberley.
FOTHERIN, s. fodder.
Kelsall.
“It's fotherin for
cattle."
FOUR-SQUARE, adj. rectangular.
FOW, 1 V
/ X 1
FIGH, I ^^'
^') ^^^5^-
“He's makiny^ feces
at me."
(2) abusive.
“Fow names."
"/iwi' her temper."
FOWT )
^' ^^^ *
^annyard
(2) a
cluster of horses.
Hyde.
(3) a
layer of anything;
a covering.
FOWD, V. to
fold.
FOW-DRUNK, a^: very
drunk. W.
FOWER, num. four.
Fourteen becomes y^^wMeen,
but forty is
unaltered in pronunciation.
FOWL, s. an
inflammation between the
claws of a
cow's foot
Leieh gives the
following superstitious remedy,
'* Cut a
sod on which
the
diseased foot has
stood, the shape
of the foot,
and stick it
on a bush."
FOW LIFE, very
difficult.
“ Tve
2ifow life to
walk at all,"
said a rheumatic
man. L.
FOWT, V. perf.
tense of fight;
plur. Fowten.
FOX, V. to
sham.
"He'sonyy5?jfi»."
FOXBENCH, s. indurated
sand.
It is
almost of the
nature of stone,
of a dark
brown colour, found
as a
substratum in many
parts of Cheshire,
especially in peaty
districts. Wherever
it occurs the
land is very
sterile, and bums
up quickly in
dry weather. Many
years ago it
used to be
utilised in the
neighbourhood of Lindow
Common for
making a kind
of mahc^[any-coloured paint.
It was chiefly
used for painting
rough wooden chairs
and other kitchen
furniture. I believe
some of these
old chairs, painted
^.ihfoxbenchy may still
be seen in
some of the
Mobberley
cottages.
FOX-SLEEPING, part, pretending
to be asleep.
“And there, luk
yo, he heered
every word as
we'd said, for
he
were nowt bu*
fox^sUepin."
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 33
FOXY, adj. (i)
wet, marshy. L.
(2) having sandy-coloured hair.
"Well, he were
a tidy-sized chap,
and he yititfoxy,'^
This sentence referred
entirelj^to the colour
of the man's
hair, and not
to
any canning propensities.
FRAB, V, (i)
to irritate.
Thus, yoa canfrab
a horse by
pulling too hard
at the reins.
(2) to
fidget.
A horse “Jrabs
hissel " when he
fidgets about.
FRABBY, adj. worrying,
ill-tempered.
"Whatever mays ye
90 frabby this
morning, yo'n getten
aht o'
bed o*
th' wrong soide."
Leigh has Frabbly.
FRAME, s. a
skeleton. Kelsall.
Speaking of magpies
taking jroung chickens,
a man said
they would "
limb
em alive," and
that they had
"left their frames
on th* adlant
yonder, nme
on em."
^'RAME, V. to
set about the
performance of anything.
"Hey^ww^j badly."
FRAMPATH or FRAMPOT,
s. an iron
ring attached to
the chain
by which a
cow is tied,
which slides up
and down the
raich-
stake. MOBBERLEY.
FRANZY, adj. irritable.
FRASLING, s. the
perch. Halliwell.
FRATCH, V. to
worry about trifles.
Hyde.
FRATCHETY, adj. peevish,
irritable. Macclesfield.
FRAY, V. to
stock a pond
with young fish.
FREE, adj affable.
"How do you
like your new
landlord?" — "Well
! I think
we
shaU like him
very well; he
seems a s^vj
free gentleman."
FREE MARTIN or
MARTIN, s. a
twin heifer when
the fellow-
twm is
of the opposite
sex; popularly supposed
(and with some
reason) to be
incapable of breeding.
FREE^POKKEN, adj. frank,
unreserved in address.
FREETENED, part, frightened.
FREM, adj. strange.
^^M-FOLK, s. strangers, as
distinguished from kins-folk.
■34 <"H^y;HlRE glossary.
FREXCH BUTTERFLEE. s.
a coloured butterfly,
white ones
I ^ve
:^ Bi»e vi^
sobc ^BfiiiVni r,
hrcaiwr I hxtc
never heard it
bat
■;: Rr?soiMLX, aai
dKs I did
boc koow wlKtlier
mj infomuoit was
a
OKdmc mam. or
doc. KeamkiDg npoii
a sodden thaw
and a wann
day m
en!j s^BOg, he
iuiutned ne, as
a rare piece
of natmal histoiy,
that he nad
ofxared a Qaeen
Asa a few
dxrs pferioosly. On
my asking what
he meant
li -One </d
br a
Qneen J^nn. he
sui. “One of
thoBedark-CQloaredbiitterflees
wi' red cm
their wii|cs; sane
call *em frrmJk
BmtUrfusJ* I oondaded
he meant a
JTsmasm mrtisM^ See Red
Drummer.
iL sadt-makmg term.
The ram that
fiadls upon the
top of
the brine in
a brine-dstem, wfaicfa
being lighter, floats
on the top.
After heaT7 run
the men talk
of *«nBBii« the>W»l
o£"
FRESH, a^. k
i) youthful, or
radier not diowing
age, well preserved.
“ He*s
xfTgfrtxk for his
age" is said
of a hearty
old man.
Paint which has
not beoome diwolouied
i&fnsk,
u) in
good conditioa, but
not thoroughly fsk
\ said of
13) frisky.
“ Yo
mon stick on,
he*s Tcrffrtsk,"
(4) slightly drunk.
(5) n«w.
“We'n getten ^frtsk
schoo-mester.”
FRETTEN, part, rubbed,
marked Used chiefly
in pock'/r^iten. W.
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FRIDGE, V, to
rub, so as
to injure the
sur£Eu:e.
FRILL, s. the
puckered edge of
the fat which
is stripped from
the
entrails of a
pig. It has
a red, fleshy
edge, and resembles
a
frill. Macclesfield.
FRIM, adj. tender,
brittle.
FRITTENIN, s. a
ghost, or anything
supernatural. — JIfancAester
City News, Feb.
26th, 1880.
FRO, pr^. from.
FROG, s, the
complaint of the
mouth usually called
thrush.
FROG-STOOLS, s. toad-stools. Macclesfield.
FROMMERING, s.
A writer in
the Manchester City
News of March
12th, 1881, gives
this word
as occurring in
an old family
will of the
17th century, in
an inventory of
goods : — "Item, ont frommering" The
writer adds :
" Hitherto no
one of
our day has
been able to
tell me what
this is, but
it is generally
supposed to
be some domestic
utensil or agricultural implement." I
am unid>le to
si^>gest
any other explanation, but
I put the
word on record
in the hope
thatisome day
the meaning may
be disoovered.
adv. forward. W.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 35
FRONT, V. to
swell up, as
when boiling water
is poured upon
Indian meal. »
Also to cause
to swell, as
when indigestible food
causes a full
feeling at
the stomach, it
is said that
" it fronts,”
FRORT,
FROWART,
FROWARTS^
FROSTED, /aff. (i) spoilt
with frost.
“I do
doubt them taties
*11 ht/rosted,"
(2) frost-bitten, having
chilblainsr.
(3) horseshoes put
on with frost-nails
were for-
merly said Jto be
frosted. Academy of
Armory^ Bk. III.,
ch. iii., p.
89. Still in
use.
FROST NAILS, s.
nails with pointed
heads put into
horses' shoes
to prevent slipping,
mentioned in Academy
of Armory^ Bk.
III.,
ch. iiL, p.
89. Still in
use.
FROWSTY (MoBBERLEv), FROWZY
(Macclesfield), adj. close
smeUing, like a
room of which
the windows are
never opened.
FROZZEN,/ar/. frozen.
FRUMP, s, a
contemptuous name for
an old woman,
especially one
who a£fects youthful
airs. Macclesfield.
PRUMPING, part, gossiping;
spreading scandalous tales.
Hyde.
FUDGE, s, nonsensical
talk.
“Sitch.^w^/ oi've no
patience to listen
to ye."
FUDGE, V, to
talk nonsense; especially
with the intent
to cram
another person.
FUGLE, 5. to whistle. L.
HIKES, s. the
hair. W.
FULL-BAT, precipitately.
“ He
ran agen him
fuil-bat,"
FULLOCK, V. to
shoot a marble
by jerking the
hand forward,
instead of with
the thumb only;
considered an unfair
way of
playing.
“Nye then !
no fullocking,"
FULL OF UNBELIEF,
metaphor. Said of
a cow that
will not
stay in her
pasture. Willaston.
FUMMAS, V, to
fumble.
"What zxifummasin with
at th* lock
? Canna ye
see th* dur's
A bowted
? "
FUMMASING, adv, clumsily. Frodsham. See
Thumbasing.
136
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2490)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
FUN, s. to
make fun of.
^ “
Ne*er heed him;
he*s ony funning
jrou."
FUND, V. perfect
tense of find.
FUNERAL CAKES, s.
long, narrow, sponge
cakes used at
funerals.
Fonnerljr, I believe,
they were intended
to represent a
coffin. They are
presented with a
funeral card to
each person wno
has attended a
funeral,
when he leaves
the house. They
are folded up
in white paper,
and sealed up
with black wax.
The custom is
fast becoming obsolete ;
but when I
was a
boy a
funeral would hardly
have been considered
correct without the
funeral
cakes. The undertakers
generally provided them.
FUNERAL CUPS, s.
drinking vessels used
at funerals.
I have
never met with
these, nor had
I ever heard
of them until
the
following account was
sent to me
by a Macclesfield correspondent : "
Some
time since, I,
like many others,
tfad a china
mania, and poked
into all sorts
of cottages in
search of 'bits.'
I one day
found some taU
upright cups
something like coffee
cups, only larger.
I exclaimed to
the old man
who
owned them, '
What beauties !
but where are
the saucers ?
* He replied,
* There be
none to them,
Miss; they are
funeral cups; they
never usen *em
nye, bu* when
I were a bye, they
uset for drink
warm beer ait
on em at a
berryin, and smoke
long pipes; bu'
things alter so.'
Those cups were
at
least a hundred
3rears old, and
had been u^
at the funerals
of the fiimily."
FUNNY, adj. (i) bad,
capricious, said of
temper.
'* Oo's getten
2^ funny temper."
(2) strange, extraordinary.
The word is
p>erpetually being used,
even on the
most solemn occasions,
and without the
slightest intention of
expressing any amusement
at any
untoward circumstance. If
a man met
his death in
any extraordinary
manner, we should
say, "What 2^ funny
thing."
FUR, s, the
encrusted sediment at
the bottom of
a kettle or
boiler.
FURBLES, s, fibres,
hairy roots. L.
FURMETRY or FURMETTY,
s. new wheat
stewed for a
con-
siderable time, and then
boiled with milk,
sweetened, and spiced.
Sometimes eaten at
Christmas, but more
usually on the
Wakes Sunday,
which varies in
every parish. See
Wakes.
FURRED, part encrusted
with sediment.
FUSSOCK, s, a
potato pudding. L.
FUSTIAN CUTTER, s,
one who finishes
off fustian by
cutting it
to a
sort of velvetty
pile. A common
trade about Congleton,
and
also at Lymm.
FUSTIANY, adj, applied
to sand with
a good deal
of earth (the
colour of fustian)
in it, that
prevents its being
used for mortar.
L.
FUZ-BAW, s, the
fungus Lycoperdon Bovista,
Fuz-bob (Maccles-
field).
FUZZIKY, adj. soft,
spongy; applied to
wet, spongy land;
or to a
soft, woolly turnip.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 37
G.
GABEL RENT, s.
an ancient tenure
of land at
Chester.
Id the
Domesday Book of
Cheshire and Lancashire^
as edited and
translated by Mr.
W. Beamont, we
have the very
earliest existing reference
to this curious
and accustomed tenure
at Chester :
" Whoso did
not pay his
gukei{jLe,<t not only
the annual reserved
rent, but also
the peculiar service
due
to the
kii^ or other
superior authority, at
the time appointed,
Christmas),
forfeited * x
shillii^s,' But if
he was unwilling
or unable to
pay or perform
it, the pnefect
or sheriff took
his land into
the king's hand."
This duty was
no dovDt often
felt irksome enough
by the great
families, who usually
farmed
the QU)el land
of the dtv.
As time advanced,
too, the responsibility would
certainly have been
shirked, if it
could have been
done with impunity;
but
the "x shillines" annual
fine, and the
danger of the
property becoming
forfeited to the
king and the
dty, effectually prevented
the custom from
falling
into desuetude. It
is only within
our own day
that, for a
mere mess of
pottage, the dty
has bartered away
for ever this
andent and picturesque
custom, involving the
original title to
the soil of
rare old Chester. — Cheshire
Sk^afy voL L,
p. 355.
GABY. See Gawby.
GAD, s. the
fact of starting.
To be
" on the
^»/ " is
to be on
the point of
setting out.
GAD, V. (i)
(or GAD ABOUT),
to go about
gossiping.
“Keepe truelie thy
Saboth, the better
to speed,
Keepe seruant from
gadding^ but when
it is need."
TussER (Five hundred
Points), E.D.S. ed.,
p. 25,
(2) COWS are
said to gad
when, in hot
weather, they rush
frantically about the
fields with their
tails in the
air,
to escape (as
is supposed) the
attacks of the
gad-fly.
(3) to
go, to start
off. Macclesfield.
•* Nah
then, thee gad
off.*'
GAFFER, X. (i)
a master.
(2) the overlooker
of a gang
of meiL
(3) the foreman
of a band
of labourers, who
acts for
them in contracting
with an employer
for a job.
(4) a
husband. Wirrall.
“My ^t;^,'' s^^., my
husband,
GAFXy, adj. doubtful,
suspected.
A ga/ty person
is a suspected
person. W.
K
138
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
GAGGING OUT, part,
sticking out, projecting. Bucklow
Hill,
Knutsford, Warford.
GAIN, adj. (i)
handy. GEEN (W.
Ches.).
A li^^t spade
would be called
*' a gainer
tool " than a
heavy one;
(2) near.
The nearest way
is called the
*^ gaintst road.”
(3) smart, active.
*^ Kgain little
tit," f.^., an
actiye little horse.
GALLOWS, f. braces.
L.
GALLOWS TANG, f.
a jail-bird; also
a clumsy fellow.
L. See
Gallus Tag.
GALLUS, adj, gay,
mischievous, given to
larks, mad-cap.
'* K
gaUus XzA:'
GALLUS TAG, s.
a gdOd-for-nothing. Macclesfield.
'* He*%9i gallus
tag; he'll do
nobody no good."
GAM, adj. game,
plucky.
GAMBLE, 5. the
hough of a
horse. L. See
Cambril.
GAMBREL LEGGED, adf.
cow legged. Said
of a horse.
L.
GAMMEL or GANNEL,
s. a slut;
also a narrow
entry or passage.
L. See Gennel
and Ginweu
GAMMOCK, s, a
jest, a lark.
GAM MOCK, V.
to play pranks.
GAMMY, adj. (i)
imperfect, diseased.
“He's very bad;
he's getten a
gammy leg,"
(2) idle, good
for nothing. Macclesfield.
*'He's a gammy
sort o' chap;
he spends hafe
his toime i'tb
public haise."
GANDER MONTH. See
Gonder Moon.
GANG, s. the
party of labourers
who undertake to
open a pit
and
dig out the
marL L.
GANGER, s. the
head of a
gang of workmen.
L.
This and the
former word are
not local, but
being induded in
Leigh'9
Glossary are inserted
here.
GARELOCKS or GARELICKS,
s. a fighting
cock's gafflcs 01
artificial spurs. L.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
139
GARGLE, s. an
inflammation in a
cow's udder, known
to veterinary
surgeons as Mammitis.
See Body Gargle.
Leigh says that
to nib the
udder with a
maid's shift is
a reputed cure
for
GARGLED or GARGILT,
part, or adj.
having gargle in
the udder.
Partidpially we speak
of a cow
being gargled as
"oo's gargilt." Using
the word as
an adjective we
say "oo's getten
a gargilt elder.”
GARJEE, s. hatting
term. A byword
for beer.
GARLICK, s. Allium
ursinum. Wild Garlick
(W. Ches.).
GARNER, s, a
granary.
GARRETT, s, hatting
term. A meeting
of workpeople.
GARTERING, part, salt-mining
term. Cutting a
grip or narrow
passage into a
bulk of salt,
after it has
been picked or
yoed
under, to loosen
it so that
it will fall.
GATE, s. a
road leading to
one or more
moss-rooms.
Generally the turf
is not got
out of these
roads, but they
are left high
and dry above the surrounding
land. It is
remarkable that at
the Wilmslow, or north
side of Lindow
Common, these roads
are called Gates; whilst
at the Mobberley or
south side, only
about two miles
off, they are called
Looads.
GATE, V, to
start, i.e, set
anything going.
As a
silk-weaving term, it
refers to the
preparations made by
a workman
^nt to
weave a new
fabric.
“I vDMXigate a
new loom next
wik."
To start a
pump which is
out of order,
by pouring water
down it, is
called
i«tf«f it
As a
salt-making term it
means starting a
pan to work.
“ Au*ve gated
moi pon."
GATHERERS, j. the
collectors of the
subscription after a
charity-
sermon. L.
GATHERING, s. a
collection in a
church.
One sometimes hears
an " Ya&Xitx
gathering'*'' spoken of.
GATHER WASTE, idiom,
a factory term.
To wind up,
to draw
to a
conclusion.
Before ceasing work
at a factory
for the day,
they "gather the
waste"
^k caused by
the breakages of
the day. Thus,
it is a
common sajring when
^ orator or
a clergyman enters
on the peroration,
or the "
in conclusion "
of
n« sermon, that
he begins "
t* gather •waste. " L.
GAUBERTS, s. iron
racks for chimneys. Halliwell.
GAULISH, adj. ill-tempered, nagging.
Kelsall.
GAUT PIG, s.
a sow. L.
More correctly, a
sow that has
never had pigs.
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140 CHESHIRE
GLOSSARY.
GAW, adj. open
or unoccupied. — Cheshire Sheafs
vol. i., p.
266.
“Gaw or
waste land " appears
in an old
deed relating to
land ii
Allostock. L.
GAWBY, s. a
simpleton, a fool.
GABY (Macclesfield), GOBBY
(Mid-Ches.). See April
Gawby.
A woman said
to her husband,
“Tha great gawby; sithee
how th’ art
muckin th' flure
as aw've cleeant. Th'
art fit for
nowt bu' sit
i' th' chimbly and nurse
th' choilt."
GAWFIN, s, a
clown. L.
GAWKIN, I . .
^ ^
GAWKY, i ^^'
awKwara.
GAWM, 5. a
lout.
' ' A
gawm of a
fellow. " L>
GAWM, V. (i)
to smear with
anything sticky.
(2) to
grasp in the
hand. Macclesfield.
(3) metaphorically, to
comprehend Macclesfield.
“It's above my
thumb, aw conna
gawm it," was
said of the
music c
Mendelssohn's *<£Ujah."
TN^GAWMED, } ^^'
^ ^^^ ^^
°^^ expletive.
“ Well, aw'm
gcnumed if ever
aw heerd owt
loike that.'
GAWMY, adj. sticky.
GAWN, s. a
gallon. W.
Leigh spells it
GOAN.
GAWP, V, to
gape or stare.
* *
What are ye
gawpin at ?
"
GEAOWT, 5. (i)
the gout.
(2) spongy, wet
soil.
GEAOWTY, adj. wet,
spongy, boggy.
Leigh gives an
amusing illustration under
the word goufy, "What's
gouty place?" "Awobby place." "What's a
wobby place?" "A
mi
rick." " What's
a mizzick ?"
" A murgin." "
What's a murgin
?" "
wet, boggy place."
GEAR or GEAR
UP, v. to
put harness on
a horse.
GEARS, s. harness.
"What's Tom doing
this wet day?" "Mester, he's
deani
th' ^arj."
GEARUM, s. order,
serviceable condition. Macclesfield.
GEE {g
hard), v. to
give.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. I4I
GEED, V. gave
{g hard).
GEEN, adj. See
Gain.
GEET, V. perfect
of get.
GEETEN, \
GETTEN,
GOTTEN,
part, participle of
get
GW^pari, given. GIN
(Macclesfield).
GENEVA PLANT, s.
the juniper, Juniperus
communis, L.
GENNEL, s, an
entry or narrow
passage between buildings.
GINNEL (Hyde, Dukinfield).
GER AIT, V.
get out.
GET, ». (i) to
beget
(2) to
gather fruit, or
get up roots.
<* GeHin damsels." '<
Gtttin Utezs." *<
Gtttin mushrooms.'*
GET AGATE, v.
to begin anything.
GETHSEMANE, s, the
plant Orchis mascula.
“One species of
orchis, which in
Cheshire is called
Gethsemane^ is said
to
have been growing
at the foot
of the cross,
and to have
received some drops
of blood on
its leaves : hence
the dark stains
by which they
have ever since
been marked." — Quarterly Review^
July, 1863, p.
231.
GETTEN,/ar/.(i)got
(2) begotten.
GET THEE GONE,
idiom, a kindly
way of telling
a person to
go.
See Go
thy Ways.
^EUSE, s. pronunciation of
goose.
GEUSE GOG,
s. a gooseberry.
GEUSE GRASS, s.
Galium Aparine.
GEUSE ILE, s,
goose-grease, made by
rendering down the
leaf or
internal fat of
a goose.
It is
very efficacious as
an external remedy
in many cases,
such as a
cold in the
chest, and is
always spoken of
as very "searching.*'
GEUSE-TONGUE, s. Galium
Aparine.
GEZLIN, s, a
gosling.
GEZLINS, s. palm
catkins, Salix Caprcsa.
GIB, s. a
male ferret L.
See Hob.
142
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
GIDDLE GADDLE, s.
a sheep walk.
N. R Ches.
GIDDY, adj. angry.
See Go Giddy.
GIFTS, s. white
spots on the
nails.
The popular belief is that
they betoken a
present, and children
say —
“A gift on
the thumb
Is sure to
come;
A gift
on the finger
Is sure to
linger."
Or they vary
it thus, beginning
with the thumb
and ending with
the little finger : "A
gift, a frend, a
foe, a sweetheart,
a journey to go.” The event to happen is
mdicated by the
word which corresponds
to the finger
on which
the white spot
is seen.
GIGGE, 5. “
a gtgge is
a hole in
the ground where
fire is made
to
dry the flax." — Academy of
Armory^ Bk. III.,
ch. iii., p.
io6.
GIL-HOOTER, j. an
owL W.
GILL, s. (i)
half a pint.
A Cheshire labourer
would stare if,
when be called
for a gitt
of ale, thej
brought him imperial
measure.
(a) a
female ferret
The g
is soft in
both cases.
GILL-BAW {g soft),
s. a child's
ball. EInutsford, Wilderspool.
"A light thing
like ^LgiU-baw:*
GILLER, or, rather,
GUILLER, s, several
horsehairs twisted
together to compose
a fishing-line. W.
GILLIFLOWER or GILLIVER
(^soft), s. a
wallflower, Cheiranthus
Cheiri.
GILT, f . a
young sow before
she has had
a litter of
pigs.
GIMBO, s, the
natural child of
a natural child.
L.
GINGER, adj, sandy-haired.
“He's a bit
^w^^."
GINGERLY, adv, gently,
cautiously. Scarcely local
GINNEL. See Gennel.
GIRD, s, and
v* a push,
to push as
a bull does.
W.
GIS-AN-GULLIES, f. the
blossoms of Salix
Capraa. Maccles-
field. See Gezlins.
GIVEN TO, part,
having a propensity
for anything.
“ Given to
drink." "
Citfen to swearing."
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. I43
GIVE O'ER, V,
to cease, to
desist-
“Has it gen
o'er raining ?"
“Give o'er, wilt
ta."
GIZZANT, X. the
gizzard of a
fowl Macclesfield.
GIZZERN, s. the
gizzard. W.
GLA6, 5. a
talkative person. Macclesfield, but
not common.
GLAFFER or GLAVER,
v. to flatter.
W.
GLASS, V, to
glaze.
Glassing the windows
is to put
the panes into
their frames. It
appears in
Middlewyc^ Church book,
A.D. 1655. L.
GLASSES, 5. spectacles.
GLASTONBURY, s. the
garden shrub, Craiagus
Pyracantha, no
doubt mistaken for
the Glastonbury thorn,
which is an
early-
flowering variety of
C Oxyacantha.
GLEAD or GLED,
5. a kite.
L
GLEEDS, 5. glowing
embers. Mow Cop,
but said to
be almost
obsolete.
Leigh, however, gives
it as still
in use for
the bits of
wood and sparks
left
at the
bottom of a
brick oven.
CLINT r ^*
^ glimpse, a
glance, a squint
Not in common
use.
GLENT, 1 ,
, ,
CLINT i ^'
^^ glance, to
squmt
GLIDE, s. a
turn in the
eye.
GLIDE, V, to
squint.
GLIFF, s, a
glimpse. W.
GLOBED TO, part
wedded to, foolishly
fond of \V.
GLOOM, V, to
be overcast.
“It looks very
like rain." ''I
dunno know, I
think xiox^y glooms
for heat."
GLOPPENED, part bewildered,
astonished.
Ray {North Country
Words) spells it
Glotten*d, but I
have never
heard the word
so pronounced.
GLOUR or GLOWER,
v. to have
a cross look!
When the clouds
threaten bad weather
we call them
glowering, W.
GLOVES, s. hatting
term. A flat
piece of leather
or wood fastened
on the
hand to protect
it from the
hot water when
rolling the
bats to felt
them.
144
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
GNATTER or NATTER,
v. to gnaw
to pieces. W.
GOAN. See Gawn.
GOBy s. (i)
a foolish person,
a silly, a
gawk. L.
(2) a
mouthful of spittle.
ELnutsford.
GOB, r. to
spit Knutsford.
GOBBINSHIRE, /n?/. name,
an old name
for a portion
of West
Cheshire.
GMinskirt seems to
have indnded Saogliall,
Shotwick, Ness, Neston,
and the hamlets
on the north
shore of the
Dee to the
borders, perhaps, of
Backford; hot its
boandaries cannot be
well defined. It
has been suggested
that the name
means GawfysAt're, because
forty or fifty
years ago the
residents
there were oat
of the ordinary
mn of mortals,
and the lubberly
boys and girls
who came from
those places to
Chester at Christmas
for their annual
hiring
used to be called,
and in hd
were, '* country
gaivbia,”
GOBBY. See Gawby.
GOD-HOP, s. a
longer hop or
jump than usual — quite out
of the
. common way.
Wilmslow.
GOD'S CROFT, prop.
name.
The name of
a farm house
lying half way
between Frodsham and
Helsby,
and supposed to
be the place
indicated by Uie
prophet Nixon when
he was
asked where a
man should find
safety on the
Judgment Day. The
seer
replied "in Go(rs
crofts between the
rivers Mersey and
Dee." The farm
in question, however,
can scarcely be
said to lie
between those two
rivers,
though it is
possible that in
very early times
the Mersey may
have flowed in
a different channel.
Some suppose that
Nixon meant the
whole promontory
of the
Wirral which is
situated between the
Mersey and the
Dee.
GOD'S GRACE, 5.
the plant Luzuia
campestris, Knutsford.
GO GIDDY, V,
to go in
a passion.
GOHANNA, 5. guano.
GOING OF, adv.
approaching; but only
used in reference
to time,
or to
a person's age.
“What time is
it ?" "
Goinf o/elevcn."
“How old is
your daughter ?"
If Oo*s ^oin*
of eighteen. "
GOINGS ON, s.
doings.
“ AwVe no
patience wi thi^^'iu
tm; tha goes
every neet to
th*
Bull, an' gets
thi bally fiill
o' swill, an'
me an' th'
childer mun sit
a
wom clemmin." ,
GOLDEN AMBER, s.
the yellow hammer,
Emheriza dtrinelia.
Macclesfield.
GOLDEN BALL, s.
the plant Trollius
europceus.
GOLDING, s. a
marigold. W.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. I43
GOLD. For many
words b^;iimiiig with
^ gc^d "
see Gowa
GOLLOP, V, to
gobble up.
<< Nah then
! dtmna thee^tfiZt^aw that
puddin off at
wnnst.”
COLORE, adv. in
abundance.
GOMMERIL, 5. a
soft, foolish person.
Delamere, Sandbach.
GONDER, s. (i)
a gander.
The extreme poverty of
a 6e]d was
described to me
thns — " It*s sa
poor,
it would na
keep a flock
o' geese, and
gmdtr goo i'th'
lone."
(2) used metaphorically for
a fool.
(3) A
gooseberry. Macclesfield.
GONDER, V. (i)
to ramble in conversation, to
become cJiildish.
W. Ches.
(2) to
go heedlessly. Mid-Ches.
<< Wheer art
^9»K^^Vf to r
GONDER MOON, s,
literally the month
during which a
goose is
sitting, when the
gander looks lost
and wanders vacantly
about;
metaphorically applied to
the month in
which a man's
wife is
confined.
A publican's wife
had been recently
confined, and one
of his customers
having caUed for
a glass of
ale repeatedly without
effect, another customer
observed “ Oh,
it's gondcr moon
wi 'im : he's
lost and dusna
know what he's
doin'."
GONE DJED, part
dead
'' Owd
Sammul's ^^'f^ djedzX
last."
GOO, V, go.
"Wheerart^iw«r
GOOD, s, a
property of any
kind. W.
GOOD FEW, adv»
a considerable number.
“Have you any
raspberries this year
?" " Oh
aye; we'n getten
9k good few J*^
GOODING, part collecting
money for the
poor at Christmas
for a
feast Doing good.
L.
GOO LAADE, inttrj,
literally good lady
but a very
frequent
expression in urging
a person, or
a dog, to
fresh exertions.
Equivalent to •*
Well done !
go at it
again."
GOOD LUCK, "To
play the good
luck;' i.e., bad luck,
is to do
mischiefl L.
GOOD-P-NOWT, s. a
worthless fellow.
“He's a xeg'\zxgood-^'nowt,''
146
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2500)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
GOOD TNOWT, a.
worthless.
* *
Cob it away;
it's ^ood t'funv/"
GOODY, s. goodtvife;
a kind of
familiar address or
title given to
women rather in
an inferior station
of life. It
grows much out
of use. W.
Now, I think,
quite obsolete; and
perhaps never
really local.
GOOLD, s. gold.
Macclesfield. More commonly
Gowd.
GO ON,
V. to scold.
“Oo does £0
on at im
above a bit,
when he comes
worn dnink."
GOOSE, s, hatting
term. An implement
used in the
curling of hat
brims.
For many words
beginning vdth goose
see Geusb.
GOOSE APPLE, s,
a green and
juicy variety of
cooking apple.
A tree
of this variety
was supplied to
me a few
years since by
a nursery-
man at Romiley, near
Stockport, and it
is now growing
in my garden
at
Mobberley, but I
do not think
the variety is
very common.
GOOSEFOOT, s. another
name for "
fat hen." L.
Chenopodium.
GORBY, adj. soft,
silly. L.
GORMLESS, adj. dull,
stupid.
'' Tha
^rmUss chap, thee;
tha'll never be
worth sawt to
thi
porridge.
GORSE-COTE, s. a
shed, the sides
of which are
made of gorse
wound amongst upright
stakes.
A cheap and
expeditious way of
providing shelter in
a field for
j^nng
cattle during winter.
GORSE HOPPER, s.
the bird called
a whinchat. W.
GORST, s. gorse,
Ulex.
Gorst is a
very common family
name in the
neighbourhood of Runcorn
and Frodsham.
GOSTER, V, to
swagger Mow Cop.
GOSTERER, s. a
swaggerer. Mow Cop.
GOT, part, thoroughly
dried, as applied
to hay.
"It'sweel^A"
GO THY WAYS,
idiom, a common
expression when bidding
a
person to be
gone \ used
in a kindly
nianner. See Get
thee
Gone.
GOT THE RATS,
idiom, said of
a man who
has the bailiffs
in his
house. L.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 47
GOUFE or GAUFE,
s. a simpleton.
"Thou great /w/Sr." L.
GOWD, s. gold.
GOWDEN, adj. golden.
GOWD-FINCH, s. the
yellow hammer, Emberiza
dtrinella.
GOWD-NEP, s. a
small yellow, early
pear. Norton, Sutton,
MiDDLEWICH.
This pear was
formerly much grown
and esteemed in
Cheshire, but is
becoming scarce. At
Middlewich it b
often pronounced Gowd-nap.
Lei^ jquotes it
as GowD Feps,
which is perhaps
a misprint.
GOWND, s. a
gown.
GRACE, s. grease.
GRACY, adj\ greasy.
GRADELY, adj, (i)
proper.
“ K
gradely XQoA^'* is
a properly formed
road, or a
public road as
dis-
tingoisheid firom a
road which people
make without having
the right to
do so.
(2) decent, well-conducted. Macclesfield, Hyde.
“A gradely woman.
“
At Hyde ^^9,
gradely mon "
implies that the
man is a
right good fellow.
GRADELY, adv. properly.
•* Yo
dunna do it
gradely,'*^
GRAF or GRAFT,
s. the depth
of a spade
in digging.
GRAIN, s. the
prong of a. fork.
GREEN (W. Ches.).
See Pikel.
“One casting a
pikell . .
. the \:ho
ffreins of the
pikell ran on
both sides of
his leg, and
hurt him not.'*— Hinde*s Life
of John Bruen
of
Siapiefordf 164 1, p.
143.
GRAIND, s. (pronounced
almost like grind),
the ground.
GRAINS, s. spent
malt; much used
for feeding milch
cows.
GRAITH, s. riches.
W.
GRANCH, V. to
crunch. Macclesfield.
GRAPED, par/, cattle
are said to
be graped when
the lungs become
tuberculated, and adhere
to the side.
GRASH, 5. green
fruit or vegetables. Middlewich.
GRASS-BOG, %. a
tuft of coarse
grass in a
field. Middlewich.
GRASS CHEESE, j.
cheese made when
the cows have
begun to
lie out at
night.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
GRASS-HOOK, s. part
of a scythe.
A short iron
rod connecting the
head of a
8C3rthe-pole and the
base
blade, cutting off
the angle, as
it were. The
effect of the
contrivaooe
prevent the grass
clogging around the
base of the
blade.
GRATER, tf. (i)
to grind
“He*s graiering his teeth.'*
(2) to
grate anything to
powder.
GRAUNCH, V, to
grind any hard
substance between the
S. Ches.
GRAVES, s. refuse
bits of meat,
skin, and fat
from the process
tallow- making.
They are pressed
into large blocks,
and sold as
food for dogs.
GRAWED, adj. zxidpart,
begrimed, bedaubed with
dirt L.
GRAZIER, s. a
young rabbit, just
beginning to feed
on grass.
GREAT, s. "
to work by
the great'' is
task work in
contradistinctii
to day
work. L. (on
the authority of
Wilbraham).
Wilbraham, however, merely
says, under the
word Hago: "
To work
the Hagg is
to work by
the great, in
contradistinction to day- work;" and
nowhere gives "
working by the
great " as a
Cheshire expression.
GREAT, adj, friendly,
on good terms.
“Him and them
isn't vtry great
ya&X now."
GREAT BINDWEED, s.
Convolvulus Septum. W.
Chks.
GREEN FADE, s.
blue mould in
cheese.
GREEN LINNET, s.
the greenfinch, Coccothraustes chloris.
GREEN-SAUCE, s. the
sorrel, Rumex Acetosa
and R. AcetoseUa.
GREEN-SIDE, s. grass.
Land laid down
to grass is
said to be
“^^«i-«Vif uppards."
GREEN SOD SLUDGE,
s. sea mud,
which was formerly
mu(
used as a
manure in the
neighbourhood of Runcorn. It
obtained from the
salt marshes on
the banks of
the Mersey
Weaver.
“We have what
we call the^^^if
sod sludge^ and
the slob; the
former t
the strongest, and
is consequently always
preferred when it
is to be
had.
We take one
graft off the
lower part of
the marsh, never
the
. to
h.
of
deeper. One man
gets it with
a shovel, whilst
another puts it
into the
with a
pitchfork."— Holland's
General View of
the Agriculture of
^^'
(1808), Appendix xiii.,
p. 368.
GREEN WHEY, s.
the clear whey
which separates from
the o
in the
cheese-tub.
It is
semi-transparent, and of
a greenish colour.
It is called
grun Wt
as distinguished from
the white whey
which comes from
the curd nndi
pressure.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 49
GHEEN WINTER, s.
a winter without
much frost or
snow.
We have a
saying that "a
green winter makes
a fat churchyard,'' on
the
supposition that warm
winters are unseasonable and
therefore unhealthy.
The statistics of
the Registrars of
Deaths, however, show
conclusively that
tliis popular idea
is without foundation.
GKTEET, s, grit.
"Whitish sandstone pounded
up, and used
for scouring wooden
dairy
^ressels. It is
generally bought from
itinerant vendors, or,
if near enough
to
Guarries where it
can be obtained,
the farmer will
occasionally send a
cart
TOT a
supply. Outside almost
every farmhouse backdoor
is a slopstone — a
flag set up
on brick pillars — and on
this may generally
be seen a
lump of
^reeif a smooth
round paving stone
for pounding it,
and a wisp
of straw very
mageniously plaited into
a scrubber. Tne
scrubber is first
dipped into water,
^iien into the
greet, and the
vessel-cleaner works at
the tubs with
a will, and
gets them to
a high degree
of cleanliness. Of
late years scrubbers
made of
C30coa>nut 6bre, and
bought at the
village shop, have
almost taken the
place
of the
old-fashioned straw scrubbers.
C^Xt^ESS, s. grass.
C^K^EWD, part, stuck
to the saucepan
in boiling. Macclesfield.
CiX^EWN-WI-DIRT, part. adj.
grimed with dirt.
Wilmslow.
It means almost
more than grimed,
as if the
dirt were completely
grown in.
%BOB, s. the
lesser redpole, Fringilla
linaria.
SLATE, s. thick
flag slates.
These sandstone slates
were formerly in
constant use in
Cheshire, and
obtained from the
quarries at Kerridge
and other places.
Except in the
neighbourhood of the
quarries, they are
now very little
used, Welsh slate
txins so much
lighter, and not
requiring such heavy
roof timbers. There
are, however, plenty
of the old
grey slate roofs
still in existence.
^RID, s. a
grating.
^Riddle, s. a
gridiron. Macclesfield.
^KJDDLY, adj. gritty.
Mow Cop.
^RJG, s. heather,
Calluna vulgaris.
^K.IME, s. dirt
thoroughly worked in,
not merely surface
dirt.
^RlN, s. 2l
snare to catch
hares or rabbits.
Made of thin
wire twisted into
a noose and
fixed in one
of their runs.
^^INDLESTUN, s. a,
grindstone. Also Grinstun
(Knutsford,
IdOBBERLEV).
Leigh gives the
following as an
old Cheshire saying:
*' Naught'
impossible, as t'auld
woman said when
they told her
caulf had swallowed
^rMdUs/one."
Children about Macclesfield say-—
“Lady-bird, lady-bird, fly
away home;
All thi childer
are dead but
one,
And he
lies under the grindlestun.”
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
GRINSEL, s. groundsel,
Senecio vulgaris,
GRINSTUN, 5. a
grindstone. See Grindlestum.
GRIP-YARD, GRIP-YAWD, or
GRIP-YAWT, s. pfles
driven vtm^
the banks of
a stream, and
wound with twigs,
generally of wilJo"^^'
to prevent the
washing away of
the soil. ^^
I frequently meet
with the word
in old leases,
where it is
oblifi^toiy f<f^^
the tenant "
to keep all
gripyards in good
order." In old
documents A t'
early part of
the seventeenth century,
belonging to the
corporation
Macclesfield the word
is frequently quoted,
and is spelt
grippe-yiUts; anc
there appears to
have been a
ranctionary whose duty
it was to
see that “i ~
grippe-yotts" were *f
seemly kepet."
GRIP- YARD, V. to
repair banks in
the above manner.
GRISKIN, s, a
loin of pork.
Knutsford, Mobberley.
The word is
quite unknown in
the neighbourhood of
Runcorn, and
thence to Warrington,
and I am
also informed that
it is not
used about
Maccles6eld.
GRIZZLED, adj, of
a roan colour.
GRONCH, s. unripe
fruit. Mow Cop.
'* He
made hissel bad
wi eating sa
mitch gronch,^^
GRONCH, V. to
crunch. Mow Cop.
GROOND, s. a
greyhound.
GROOP, i. a
channel behind the
cows in a
shippon.
GROSIER, s. a
gooseberry. L.
GROUND ASH, s,
the plant (Egopodium
Podagraria.
GROUND ELDER or
ELLER, s, Angelica
sylvestris.
GROUND HONEYSUCKLE, s,
Lotus comiculatus.
Leigh assigns the
name to the
common birdsfoot (Omithopus
perpusillus),
but erroneously, having
confounded '* Birdsfoot
Trefoil" and “
Birdsfoot,"
the respective book-names
of the two
plants.
GROUND IWINS, s,
Ncpcta GUchoma.
GROUND ROCK, s,
salt-making term. Rock-salt ground
fine 5y
passing through a
mill.
GROWT, s.(i) poor
small beer. W.
(a) mortar made
very sloppy to
run between bricks
or
stones used for
paving.
(3) goo^ breed.
“Gnmt afore brass,
for me !"
L.
GROWING DAY, s.
a warm, genial
day, gQod for
vegetatioa
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 151
GRUB, V. to
make envious.
“He's grubhed at
Tom cutting him
out " L.
GRUBBY, adj, small,
poor, stunted. Macclesfield.
GRUB-HAVES or GRUB-AVES,
s. worm-hillocks seen
on grass-
plots on dewy
mornings. Wistaston.
GRUMBLEDIRT, s. a
man who is
always grumbling. L.
GRUMMEL, 5. dust
and rubbish. More
anciently Romell. L.
See Ramill.
GRUMPY, adj. peevish,
ill-tempered.
GRUND,/«f/. ground.
“Grund wuts," ground
oats.
GUAGE bed, 5.
salt-mining term. The
solid bed formed
in the
shaft, where marl
or rock are
sound enough to
form a foundation
for the cylinders
or lining of
the shaft
DUDGEON, s. the
ring or staple
in the heel
of a gate
that hangs on
the hinge or
hook in the;
gate post
CUELVE, s. 2L
three-tined fork. L.
See Yelve.
GUESS, V. to
form an opinion.
The idiom, "I
leave you to
guess," meaning ''You
can form your
own
opinion/* is in
very constant use.
Thus : I was
arranging with a
man about
f<elling some timber
in a rather
deep ravine, and
I said it
would be very
s^'^rlLward to get
the trees out.
He did not
see much difficulty
about it, and
^ci<}ed, " I
iawed some trees
at Rocksavage in
a deeper hole
than this.
^^ey had to
carry th' bark
up a ladder,
so I leave
you to guess
"
GUElST, s. instead
of guise. Knoihtx
guest person is
a different kind
^f person. W.
GUILl, V, to
dazzle, chiefly by
a blow. W.
GUlNiAD, s. a.
fish, apparently the
char, caught in
Bala Lake in
Wales.
Leigh gives this
as a Cheshire
word, and quotes
Steele's Collection of
^^^kire IVords (Bodleian
Library), 1750. The
name, however, b
clearly
Wekh. See Leigh's
Glossary.
^LCH, V. to
swallow greedily and
noisily. Macclesfield.
^LL, s. a
naked gull. So
are called all
nestling birds in
quite an
Unfledged state. W.
'^LLaNTINES, s. strong
pruning shears.
They are used
for pruning thick
branches from trees
or hedges. They
r*^e long, straight
handles, and a
very short cutting
blade, about three
jnches long, which
works into a
groove between two
iron plates. The
Jj;^engc is thus
very considerable, and
branches of nearly
an inch in
^”*«»cter can be
readily ci^ with
them.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
GULLET, s. (i)
a long, narrow
piece of land.
Macclesfield.
(a) a
passage opening from
a street, and
having n—
thoroughfare. Macclesfield.
GUMPTION, s. sense,
talent, capacity.
A person who
is slow to
pick up any
kind of work
or knowledge is
sai
to have no
gumption.
GURDS. See Fits
and Gurds.
GURN, V. to
grin. s. B.
Clough.
GURR, s, diarrhcea
in calves.
I spell this
words with two
rs, because there
is a sort
of proIongatioD f>f
the r,
though without any
approach to a
trilL
GURR, V. to
have diarrhoea.
There is a
superstition that if
you lay your
hand on the
back of a
young
calf it will
cause it to
gurr. The calf
cringes when thus
touched, and the
supposition is that
it causes some
pain or injury.
GUT, 5. a
narrow channel leading
from a river,
amongst the mud-
banks, and into
which the tide
flows.
A channel of
this kind on
Astmoor salt marsh
in the township
of Halton
b spoken of
as " th*
gut.*^
GUTTER, s, salt-mining
term, (i) Hollows
cut in the
walb of a
shaft, and lined
so as to
be
watertight, to catch
the water
trickling down the
shafL
(2) salt-making term.
A spout for
carrying water from
the pan-
house.
GUTTER-VIEWERS, s. salt-making
term. Officers in
the salt
towns who inspected
the troughs or
channels which conducted
the brine from
the sheath to
the wych house.
L.
GUTTIT, s, is,
I am credibly
informed, the only
name by which
Shrovetide is known
among the lower
orders in Cheshire.
This
would seem to
be a corruption
of Good tide.
W.
GUTTLE, V, to
drink greedily. Macclesfield, but
not very
frequently used.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 53
H.
HACCLE, V. to
grumble, to dispute.
Mow Cop.
HACK, s. (i)
a mattock.
"AgoTsekaci." L.
(2) the liver
and lights of
a pig.
HACKLIN, adj. hacking.
Said of a
troublesome cough.
“Oo's getten sitch
a hacklin cough."
HAD DRINK, part,
slightly intoxicated, but
hardly drunk.
HADNA, V. had
not
HAFE, ) , ,-
HAWF,r-^^^-
HAFE-WIT, s. an
idiot.
HAFFLE, V. to
hesitate. See Shafflin
an' Hafflin.
HAFT, s. the
handle of a
knife, a hammer,
an axe, &c.
Leigh says a
man not to
be depended on
is called "loose
in the
haftP ... If
an axe, for
instance, is set
in a loose
haft, the weapon
noC only cannot
be trusted, but
may be dangerous.
This is no
doubt classical English,
but the word
handle is generally
used
by educated people,
whereas our Cheshire
men never say
handle^ but always
HAG, f. (i)
job, bargain.
To work by
the hag is
to work by
the piece, t.^.,
to make a
bargain
respecting the work.
Jag (which see)
seems to be
another form of
the word.
(2) trouble, difficulty.
Thus if one
tries to persuade
another against his
will it would
be said, “ I
got him to
go at last,
but I*d a
regular hag Mrith
him."
HAGGIT, adj. careworn,
harassed. Macclesfield.
HAGGLE, V, (i)
to chaffer or
dispute over a
bargain.
(2) to
bicker.
(3) to
carve meat badly.
HAGG MASTER, s.
one who hires
labourers and undertakes
“hagg-work." L.
HAGUE or HAIG,
x. the fruit
of the hawthorn, Cratcegus
Oxyacaniha^
L
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
HAIGH or HAY,
v, to heave.
“^oy it up,"
lift it. L.
Leigh includes this
on the authority
of Wilbraham; but
Wilbraham ^r^'
“to have" as
the meaning, and
not '*to heave," both
in the text
and f*^
appendix of both
editions. Moreover, he
does not give
any illustration
quoted by Leigh.
HAIN, 5. hatred,
malice. L.
HAISE or HAHSE,
s. house.
HAITCHES, or, more
commonly, Aitches, which
see. Also see
Fainty IIaitches.
HALEWOOD PLUM, s.
a red plum
formerly much cultivated
in
N. W.
Cheshire, and greatly
esteemed for preserving.
It is
becoming more scarce,
but may still
be bought in
Warrington
market; and there
are several trees
of it in
the neighbourhood of
Norton
and Frodsham.
H ALF-SHAKED, part, half-witted. L.
HALF-TIMERS, 5. children
under the age
of thirteen, who
work
in cotton or
silk factories.
The Factory Act
provides that they
are only to
work for half
a day, and
must go to
school dunng the
other half.
HALLIDAY, s. a
holiday.
HALOW or HAILOW,
adj. awkwardly backward,
shy. W.
HALSH, V, to
tie a rope
in a peculiar
way round timber
or stone
which is to
be hoisted.
HAMES, ]
HEMES, s, the
iron arms which
clasp a horse's
collar, and to
HAWMS, which the
chains for drawing
are attached.
HOMES, J
They were formerly
made of wood
partially plated with
thin iron.
^*The Frill Homes
are the pieces
of wood made
fast to the
collar about the
horse neck, to
which hooks and
the chains are
fixed. The Homes
are the
wooden pieces themselves." — Academy of
Armory^ Bk. Ill,,
ch. viiL, p.
^y^
HAMIL SCONCE, s.
the light of
the village or
hamlet; the Solomon
of the
place.
Sconce is either
light or head.
L.
HAMMER AND PINCERS,
) . .•
HAMMER AND TONGS,
J *^^^'
(i) the noise
made by a
trotting horse when
it strikes the
hind shoe against
the fore shoe.
(2) having high
words.
"Falling out hammer
and tongs ^* is
a very common
expression in
Cheshire, though perhaps
hardly local.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 55
HAMPER, s. a
measure of six
pecks.
Apples, pears, plums,
damsons, and gooseberries are
generally sold
wholeale by the
hamper. So also
are potatoes, especially
new potatoes,
which are always
sent to market
in these hampers.
The hampers are
long-
sqnare, and wider
at the top
than the bottom,
so that when
thev are brought
home from market
empty they can
be packed one
inside the other
like
flower pots, and
a great number
can be packed
on one cart.
It Ls customary
also to wash
new potatoes in
these hampers, which
is conveniently done
by
dipping them into
a pit or
stream of water
and shaking them
about. Eacn
hamper holds half
a load of
potatoes, that is
six pecks or
scores of twenty-one
pounds to the
score (a long
score).
HAMPER, V. to
burden with debt.
HAMPERED, /tff/. (i) burdened
with debt
(2) choked up
with dirt.
'* Yo
neyer seed sitch
a place i*
your loif, it
were aw hampered
up
widirt."
HAN, r. have.
“Han yo getten
owt ?" "
Now, a hanna.'*
HAND-BOARD, x. a
tea-tray. Kelsall.
HANDED SQUARES, x.
salt-making term. Squares
of salt, such
as are
commonly hawked about
the streets.
HAND-HOOK, s. tanning
term. A short
iron hook fixed
in a cross
handle of wood,
with which tanners
move the wet
hides,
HAND STAFF, s.
the handle of
a flail.
"The Hand Staff,
that as the
Thresher holds it
hy,''— Academy of
Armory^ Bk. III.,
en. viii., p.
333.
HAND, TO BUY
BY, idiom, io
buy by hand
is to estimate
the
value of anything
instead of weighing
it.
The expression is
chiefly used in
buying fat pigs.
In buying inanimate
objects, such as
hay, the word
lump is generally
us^^d — buying by the
lump.
HANDY PANDY, s.
a child's game,
when an object
is concealed
in one
hand, and a
companion has to
guess in which
it is
hidden.
The one who
conceals the object
says —
“ Handy Pandy, sugary
candy,
Guess which hand
it's in ;
Right hand or
left hand,
Guess which hand
it's in."
HANG CHOICE, idiom,
no difference, one
as bad as
the other.
"Am nor oi
a better bye
than Johnny, grandmother?" “Aw
dunna know; you're
both so nowt,
that it's hang
choice between
n
you.
156
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
HANGED HAY, idiom,
hay hung on
the steelyard to
be weigh^^
previous to selling.
Wilbraham gives as
an old Cheshire
proyerb, " Hanged
hay never
cattle," f.^., bought
hay does not
pay. "Slung hay"
is another versio^V
and, like *' hanged
hay," refers to
the mode of
weighing. See T&iTS^
Weight.
HANGING SORT OF
WAY, idiom, wavering
between sickness
and health.
HANGMENT, s. a
word somewhat equivalent
to " the
deuce."
“ It's
played the hangment
with me."
HANG-POST, s, the
post to which
a gate is
hung. See Clap-post.
HANGS, s. wires
to catch hares
and rabbits. L.
HANK, 5. a
term used in
flax-dressing.
"An Hank is
a slipping made
up into a
knot." — Academy of Armory^
Bk. III., ch.
iii., p. 107.
HANKECHER, s. a
handkerchief.
HANKER, V. to
desire, almost to
covet.
Leigh has also
Hank.
HANKERING, s. a
strong desire.
“Please, Miss, an
yo getten a.sope
o* red port
wine as yo'd
give
my mother; oo's
been ta^en bad
in her bowels,
and 00 has
sitch
a hankerin for
a sope o'
red port wine."
Port wine is
looked upon as
a complete panacea;
it is invariably
spoken
of as
red port wine.
HANNA, ) ^,
.^^ „ .
HANNER, I ^-
^^^^ "^^-
HANSEL, s, the
first money taken
in the morning,
or at a
newly
opened store.
'*Gi me a
hansel this morning."
There is a sort
of idea that
it brings good
luck.
HANSEL, z;.^to use
a thing for
the first time,
also to taste
a thing
for the first
time.
HANSEL MONDAY, s.
the first Monday
in the year.
L.
It does not
quite appear, however,
whether Leigh gives
this as a
Cheshirism or not.
HANSH, V. to
snap with the
teeth. Mobberley.
*' If
a dog's mad,
he*ll hansh at
anything that's near
him."
HANSHAKER, $. a
handkerchief. Macclesfield.
HANTLE, s. a
handful Also Hontle.
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(tudalen 157) (Glossary of Words Used In
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 157
HAP, V. (i)
to pat soil
with the back
of a spade.
(2) salt-making term.
To smooth the
lump salt with
a
happer. See Happer.
(3) to
meet with a
person.
"If yo*re goin
to th* fair
may be yo'n
hap on our
Jim, for he's
gone an hour
sin."
HATNY, s, a
halfpenny. The a
is pronounced as
in father. Also
Hawpny.
HAPPEN, adv. perhaps,
possibly. Me-happen (Macclesfield).
HAPPER, f . salt-making
term. A small
wooden spade or
paddle
used to ?iap
the lump salt,
that is, to
give it a
smooth surface by
patting it or
drawing the happer
over it.
HAPPY FAMILY, 5.
a species of
Sedum frequently grown
in
cottage windows.
HAP UP, V.
to tuck up.
“Put him to
bed, and put
plenty of hillin
on him, an
hap him up
warm. '*
HARBOUR, s, situation,
spot, receptacle.
“ My
word ! but
this is a
wyndy harbour.*^
*• A
wood-fent's a regular
harbour for rottens."
Dark corners in
a house are
“ harbours for
dust."
Harbour, v, (i)
to dwell in
a place, to
haunt a place.
Rats harbour in
a barn. Partridges harbour
amongst turnips.
(2) to
give shelter to,
to encourage.
“ He
harbours aw th'
powchers i'th county."
WARBOURATION, s, a
coUection, a lodgment.
“ Oi
ne*er seed sich
a harbouration o*
dirt as that
is."
HARD, adj, becoming
sour. Said of
ale.
HARDENING. See Basoning.
HARD-FACED, adj. (i)
obstinate in making
a bargain.
(2) close-grained, hard
in texture.
Timber which is
hard and difficult
to work is
said to be
hard-faced. An
*Pple of so
close a texture
that you can
scarcely get your
teeth through it
»Ottld be called
hard faced.
HARDHEAD or H ARDYED
(Delamere), HARDINES, HARB-
ISON, X. the plant
Centaurea nigra,
HARDINES. See Hardhead.
^^I^OIRON. See Hardhead.
HARE-SHAWN, part, having
a hare-lip.
“Oi could na
mak aht a
word he said,
for he's hare-shawn.'"
IS8
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(tudalen 158) (Glossary
of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2512)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
' [
s. the plant
Galium Aparim, W.
Ches.
HARNISH, s. harness.
HARIF,
HERIF
HARRISON'S PIPPIN, s.
a variety of
apple.
It is
only seen in
old orchards, and
probably could not
now be obt
from any nurseryman. It
is large and
handsome, a first-class
table fruit,
a fairly good
cooking apple. There
are many apples
to be found
in.
orchards in Cheshire,
and no doubt
elsewhere, which are
quite equal,
many cases superior
to, the new
kinds which are
now in cultivation,
apple which I
take to be
this variety is
mentioned in A
Cavalier^ s NoU-^^^
p. 165, showing
its antiquity.
HARRY-LONG-LEGS, s, the
daddy-long-legs.
Occasionally, h^-^
daddy-long-legs is more
common.
HARSH, s. piercing,
bitter. Applied to
the weather. The
opposite
to Melsh (which
see).
Harsh is pronounced
almost like Ncuh,
HARSLET, s. the
liver and lights
of a pig.
Mobberley.
HARVEST GEARING, s.
the rails fixed
on a cart
for carrying hay
or com.
HASK, adj, cold,
piercing, harsh. More
commonly HosR.
HASP, 5. a
clasp for the
lid of a
box, which falls
into the lock.
Also
a clasp which
falls over a
staple into which
a padlock can
be
locked.
HASSOCK, s, (i)
a word used
in turf-getting. The
surface layer
with heath, &c.,
upon it, cut
about three
inches thick.
(2) a
coarse tuft of
grass.
The large tufts
of grass or sedge
which frequently grow
in low, ondrained
meadows and boggy
places. The grass
which forms hassocks
is chiefly
Aira caspitosa ; the
sedges are Carex
cctspUosa and C
paniculaia.
HASSOCK SPADE, s.
a turf-getting tool.
It is
made in the
form of a
crescent, and is
fixed to a
long handle which
is curved at
the lower end.
Its use is
to pare off
the surface of
the bog.
HASTA, IK hast
thou.
HAT BODY, 5.
hatting term. The
foundation of which
a hat is
made.
HATCH, s. (i)
a small gate.
(2) salt-making term.
The door of
a furnace.
(3) a
latch. Macclesfield.
“Dunna bowt th*
durr, lave it
o*ih kaick, and
then thi finjrther
can come in
when he's a
mind an we*n
go to blanket
fair (bed)."
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 59
HATCHEL, s. an
instrument mentioned by
Randle Holme as
used
in the
dressing of hemp
and flax.
“ An
Hatchell^ of which
there are several
sorts one finer
than another,
the]re are long
Iron Finns set
orderly in a
board with which
Hemp and Flax
is combed into
fine hairs." —
Academy of Armory
^ Bk. III.,
ch. iii., p.
io6.
HATCHELLING,/af/. combing flax
or hemp.
*-^ HaUhelUng^ is
to comb with
iron pinns to
make it finer." — Academy of
Armory^ Bk. III.,
ch. iii., p.
107.
This process is
now called in
the north of
England " heckling;" but
as
hemp and flax
have long ago
ceased to be
cultivated in Cheshire,
this and
the preceding word
have, I suppose,
become quite obsolete.
HATE, 5. height.
H ATTLE, adj.
wild, skittish. W.
Possibly quoted from
Ray {North-Country Words\
who has "Hattle,
odj. wild, skittish,
harmfuL Ches. '
Tie the hattle
ky by the
horn,' i,e.
the skittish cow."
H ATTOCK, s,
(i) a hole
in the roof
where owls harbour.
L.
(2) a
stook of corn.
“ We
wanten a good
wynd as '11
blow th' attacks
o*er, afore th'
cum *11 be
ready to lead." Neighbourhood of
Warrington.
'^'cAmit {^Academy of
Armory)^ (lowever, says
“ a. Ifattoek
is three sheafs
laid together." — Bk. III.,
ch. iii., p.
73.
H AVEING, part,
cleaning com. Halliwell.
Have on the
hip, idiom, to
get the best
in an argument
“He Aad Aim
on th' Aipr*
H AVERDRIL, s.
a daffodil, Narcissus
Pseudo-narcissits, Morley.
HaVIORS or HAVERS,
s, "to be
on one's haviors''
is to be
on
one's good behaviour. "
To mind one's
P's and Q's." L.
Haw, j. a
halL
H AWBERRY, s.
the fruit of
the hawthorn. Macclesfield.
«AWF, s. half.
HAWPNY, a halfpenny.
HAWPUTH, s. a
halfpennyworth.
*^AY, s. a
wood. Macclesfield.
^ The
word is frequent
in place-names — as Hall
o" tK Hay,
a farm at
Kingsley near Frodsham,
Ashton Hayes near
Chester. It is
frequently met
with in old
deeds having the
meaning of a
wood,
^AY-BONT, i. the
rope of spun
hay or straw
with which a
truss of
hay is
tied
■n
1 60
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(tudalen 160)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2514)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
HAYMENT, s. a
fence, or boundary.
The word occurs
in old deeds.
HAYSHAKERS, s. quaking
grass, BHsa media.
HAYSTACK, s.
Randle Holme makes
a distinction between
a hay stack
and a hay
He says, <*
A Stack, or
Hay Stack, is
several Loads of
Hay laid about
trodden close together
about a Stack
Pole, being shaped
broad at the
botti
and narrow at
top, Pjrramid-wise. A
Rick, or Hay
Rick, is Hay
Mow-
in the
open Air, and
made after the
form of a
Bam with a
Sheading Ridg.*^
Academy of Armory^
Bk. IH., ch.
iiL, p. 73.
No such distinction
exists now; and
the former method
of stacking K
around a pole
is not adopted.
HAY-TENTERS, or simply
TENTERS, s. haymakers,
as
tinguished from the
mowers.
HAYTHORN, or, more
correcdy, HAYTHERN, s.
hawthor
Cratagus Oxyacantha.
This is an
old form of
the name. Tusser
{Fwe Hundred Fnm/s,
E.D — ^i
ed., p. 76)
spells it Haithornb.
HAY^VARD, s. the
warden of a
common (?)
*' Oripinally a
person who guarded
the com and
fium-yard in the
nig^ — ^
time, and gave
warning by a
horn in case
of alarm from
robbers. The te
was aftemrards applied
to a person
who looked after
the cattle, and
preven
them from breakmg
down the fences;
and the warden
of a common
is ~
so called in
some parts of
the country.” — H ALU
WELL.
The election of
Hayward takes place
annually at the
Conrt Leet of
Township of Shocklach. See
CJUsier Courtmt of
June 27th, 1883.
HAZZLE, s. the
hazel, Corylus AvtUancu
HEAD, s. the
perpendicular face of
marl at the
end of the
marl
HEADACHES, s, the
common poppy. L.
Papaver dubi
{Papaver Pharos is
very rare in
Cheshire.)
It b
a popular idea
in Cheshire that
to smeU the
flowers of the
poppy
cause headache. ,
HEAD-COLLAR, s. a
leather halter worn
by horses when
tied
in the
stable.
HEADGREW, s, aftergrass.
Cholmondeston, Minshull Vern<
HEAD-STALL, j. the
same as Head-collar. Macclesfield.
HEALD (more commonly
pronounced Yell), j.
weaving t
The heaUs are
pc^ions of the
loom which are
raised by
treddles, and which
WH and drop
the ends of
the warpi
HEARKEN DOWN or
HEARKEN UP, r.
to look in.
to p^^^>
a visit.
•* If
you canna gi\-e
me a answer
to neei, ru
kearien up 5.'«-”
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(tudalen 161)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2515)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. l6l
HEARKEN OUT, v,
to be on
the look out
/or information.
"Miss, oi wanted
to ax vo
if yo'd hearken
aht for summat
for
ahr Polly, oo's
a tidy sort
o wench and
knows her book,
and oi*d
like get her
a place, and
not send her
to th' mill
(factory)."
HEART, s, condition,
richness, as applied
to land.
Poor land is
said to be
"in bad heart;”
rich land "
in good heart"
-HEAR TELL, v.
to hear about
anything.
HEARTEN, v. to
cheer, to encourage. Macclesfield.
HEARTH STAFF, s.
Handle Holme enumerates
amongst "things belonging
to the Forge/'
•*The Hearth Staffs
to stir up
the fire, and
throw Cinders out
of it." —
Academy of Armory^
Bk. lU., ch.
vii., p. 324.
HEART-ROOTED, adj. said
of a tree
that is self
sown.
HEART-SOUND, culj, having
a thoroughly good
constitution.
“ Heart sound
as a cabbage
" is a
colloquial expression.
HEARTY, adj. {1)
in good health.
(2) having a
good appetite.
“He*s very hearty
for an owd
mon."
^ E ARTY, adv.
very.
“ Oo's
hearty fow." She
is very ugly.
L.
^ ^
ASE, s. risk.
Morley, Wilmslow, but
I think almost,
if not
<5uite, obsolete.
“V\\ do it
at aU hease," ue.,
" I'll do
it at all
risks."
"^•-^THER, s. Erica
cinerea. W. Ches.
■-^VE or HAYVE,
z;. (i) to
lift.
(2) to
throw.
(3) to
ferment. See Hoven.
(4) to
retch with sickness.
VY ON,
adj. when a
cart is loaded
too far forward
so as to
P>ress too much
on the horse's
back it is
said to be
heavy on.
-dght on is
the reverse.
-^ZE, V. to
cough, or hawk.
W.
AZY, adj. hoarse.
*• He
were that heazy^
he could na
spake a word,
and you could
hear him blowin
like a pair
o* bellus."
L
l62
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(tudalen 162)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2516)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
HEBBON, part worth
having.
"He's not much
worth hebbon^ and
desp'rate shommakin in
his legs,” i^^
awkward in his
gait, was an
observation made by
a bystander on
a yoi^B
man who came
to offer himself
as a groom.
L.
It is
clear, however, that
hebbon is only
a pronunciation of " having," i^
scarcely means *'
worth having."
HECKLE-TEMPERED, adj. short
tempered, hasty, touchy.
L_
HEDGE-BACK or HEDGE-BACKIN, x.
the cop upon
which
hedge stands.
HEDGE-BRUSH INS, s,
the clippings of
hedges.
HEDGEHOGS, s, small,
stunted trees in
hedgerows. L.
HEDGE MUSHROOM, s.
Agaricus arvensis.
HEDGING BILL, s,
a bill with
a long handle
for brushing
cutting down hedges.
HEE, HEIGH (Altrincham), HOY,
adj, high.
HEED, s, (i)
notice.
"Tak no heed
o* what he
sez."
(2) care.
HEED, V, to
take notice.
“ Dunna heed
him."
HEEL-TREE, s, a
kerb of wood
or stone forming
the edge of
groop or channel
behind the cows
in a shippon^
and holding
the raised floor
or bed where
the cow stands.
HEERD, V, perfect
tense of to
hear.
HEERN, IK hear.
“ Aw
htem folks say."
HEIRABLE, adj, entailed. Macclesfield.
“ Th'
farm canna be
sold; it's heirabU,^^
HELL-RAKE, s. a
large rake with
long curved iron
teeth, used
raking up all
the scattered portions
of hay or
corn; usus—
drawn by two
men.
HELVE, 5. a
haft or handle
of a tool.
Wilderspool.
Leigh gives as
an old Cheshire
proverb signifying despair,
“To throi
htht alter the
hatchet."
HEMP CROFT f
^' ^^^^ common
names for small
paddocks 1
HFiwrp VAun 1
homesteads, presumably because
they were
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(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2517)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 63
EN, a^'. old
Leigh gives it
as explanatory of
the meaning of
Henbury, a parish
not far
from Macclesfield. The
word is only
met with in
place-names.
EN AND
CHICKENS, s. the
proliferous variety of
the garden
daisy.
DN-CORN, s. light
grain used for
feeding poultry.
“The wheat was
so badly down,
it were nowt
bu* hen-corn when
it were threshed."
lEN-GORSE, s. Ononis
arvensis, Broxton. Occasionally Bartsia
Odontites is so
called.
EN-HURDLE, s, a
loft over a
pigsty, used as
a hen-roost.
EN-SCRATS, 5. light,
scratchy clouds portending
rain (scientifically
called Cirro-stratus).
“It *ll not
keep fine long,
there are too
many hen-scrats and
marestails about."
EP, s.
the fruit of
the rose, Rosa
canina and other
species.
EP BREER, s.
Rosa canina,
GUN, s, a
popgun made of
elder tree, from
which heps are
fired.
ER, pron, used
instead of herself.
“Oo's cleaning A^r."
MlERBIVE, s, the
forget-me-not. L.
This and the next
name are probably
only copied from
Gerard because he
was a
Cheshire man. Gerard
does not localise
them.
ERB PETER, s.
the cowslip. L.
Erringbone road, s.
A few
of these renmanls
of the Pack -Horse
period, though rapidly
disap-
pearing, may still be
seen. Stones placed
like those [what
?] coming from
the backbone of
a fish, and
which support the
narrow paved causeway ;
the
first attempt at
an improvement on
a mere track
since the time
of those great
road-makers, the Romans.
L.
"BIRST, 5. a
hearse.
^^HIN. SeeEsHiN.
HESITATION, s, a
half-promise.
“There was a
hesitcUion about a
calf cote." L.
HETHER or ETHER,
s. an adder
or snake. Middlewich.
tilCKWALL, s, the
name of a
bird mentioned by
Randle Holme.
Academy of Armory ^
Bk. IH., ch.
xiii., p. 308.
1 64
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(tudalen 164) (Glossary
of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2518)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
HIDE, V. to
beat.
HIDE-BUN, adj, a
general term for
a tightness of
the skin c
animals, which is
a frequent S3niiptom
of illness.
In Cheshire the
term is extended
to an old
pasture, the sod
of which ha
become extremely tough
and poor, and
which wants breaking
up; it is
als
applied to a
tree of which
the bark will
not expand sufficient^
to allow it t
grow.
HIDING, 5. a
beating.
HIDLANCE or HIDLANDS,
s. concealment.
A man
of a shaky
character built a
house in an
out-of-the>way place
It was
said he did
so because he
wanted rather to
be "in hidiands"
A person who
keeps out of
the way for
fear of being
arrested is said
to b
in hidlands,
HIE or
HYE, s. haste.
W.
HIE, 2/. to
hasten.
“Hie the, Sarah,
hie the, and
bring me a
sope o' beer,
aw'i
welly kilt wi
droot."
HIGGLE, V, to
carry on the
business of a
huckster.
HIGGLEDY PIGGLEDY, MALPAS
SHOT, idiom, implying
tha
everyone should be
served alike.
The following tradition,
which I quote
from an article
by the Rev.
W. T
Kenyon, one of
the Rectors of
Malpas, in the
Cheshire Sheafs voL
ii.
p. 235, accounts
for the origin
of the sa3ring :
'* King James
I. was on
royal progress such
as he was
accustomed to make
over various parts
of hi
dominions. As he
approached Malpas (which,
be it observed,
is on the
big
road between London
and Chester) he
sent forward to
the Rector, as
th
principal person of
the place, to
require him to
provide for his
suitable entei
tainment. The Rector,
whether, unlike his
kind, disloyal, or
like them
parsimonious, refused. The
Curate saw his
opportunity, and ordering
th
best viands the
old' * Lion
* could produce,
invited his Majesty
to refresl
ment. . .
. The rest
of the story
is less clear,
and varies with
differer
traditions. It appears,
however, that at
the end of
the banquet there
ws
some discussion as
to settling the
account. His Majesty,
perhaps, desired t
be generous; the
Curate insisted on
the rights of
hospitality. Eventual!)
however, the ancient
custom of Malpas
prevailed, even if
it were against
th
King's wishes. Half-and-half, or
Higgledy Pi^edy, was
the time-honoure
rule of the
* Lion.' All
who came should
pay equal shares
or 'stand th
shot ' alike. Accordingly, Curate
and King divided
the costs of
the festival
and the Malpas
proverb received the
sanction of royal
authority. But th:
was not the
only thing divided.
The monarch, who
never said a
foolis
thing, had a
good occasion for
a practical joke.
If * Higgledy
Piggledy
was the rule
of the *Lion,'
it might also
be the rule
of the Glebe
and th
Tithes. * Malpas
Shot ' was fixed
upon the unfortunate
Rector, and th
Curate received henceforth
the mediety of
the Benefice. .
. . The
chai
in which the
King is said
to have sat
is preserved at
the *Lion.'"
A variant of
this tradition is
given by Mr.
Howel W. Lloyd,
M.A., i
Bye-gones^ Feb. 17,
1875, which 1
also quote from
the Cheshire Sheaj
vol. ii., p.
235: — “ Happening to
pass through Malpas
when a boy
on the
box of a
lumbering Chester coach,
the following account,
as nearl;
as I
remember, of the
origin of this
saying was given
by the coachmai
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 65
himself; . .
. 'Before his
invasion of England,
William III. travelled
in England incognito^
with a view
to certify himself
of the state
of the
nation^ feeling towards
himself and his
colleagues, and, coming
to Malpas,
betook himself to
the inn for
his dinner, a
repast which he
happened to share
'witJi the Rector
and Curate of
the parish. The
meal over, the
Curate
proposed to the
Rector to divide
the payment of
the “ Shot,"
that of the
straxiffer included, between
them. To this
the Rector, who
enjoved in the
pei^libourhood the reputation
of being a
miser, strenuously pbjectea,
exclaim-
ing «* Certainly not; higgledy
piggledy, all pay
alike." "By all
means,*'
chimed in the
future sovereign, “
higgledy piggledy, all
pay alike;" and
so it
'^^Ls arranged. But
when William was
seated on the
throne, the Rector
of
Ma^Ipas, among others,
made a joumev
to London to
worship the rising
sun.
"^He King no
sooner saw him
than he reminded
him of the
incident, and
covnpelled him to
resign a moiety
of the parish
to his Curate,
also with the
title of Rector,
on the principle
embodied in his
own apothegm “
Higgledy
P^S^ledy, all pay
alike. And from
that day forwards
there have been
two
I^ectors of Malpas.*"
The saying or
proverb is frequently
extended into "
Higgledy Piggledy,
Malpas Shot; let
every tub stand
on its own
bottom."
HIGGLER, s. a
huckster.
HIGHLONDES^ 5. a
term of reproach
for a rude
man or boy.
W11.MSLOW (neighbourhood of
Lindow Common).
This is no
doubt a reminiscence of
the '45 rebellion,
when the Pretender's
^oops passed through
the neighbourhood.
HIGHT, part, called,
named. L.
^IGH TIME, full
time.
“This biirs been
owing a good
while, it's high
time it was
paid. "
^^HO, s, the
name of a
bird mentioned by
Randle Holme, Academy
9f Armory y Bk.
III., ch. xiii.,
p. 309.
“IKE or HOYK,
v, to goad,
as a bull
does with its
horns.
"And as I
tell the, th'
owd gentium were
comin along th'
road
treedin as though
he'd getten his
shoonfull o' pays,
and owd
Timothy's goat cum
behind him and
hiked him o'er
iJi' hedge. I
thowt I should
a deed wi
laughin."
^ILET or HYLET,
s. a place
of shade or
shelter. L.
"ILI^ t;. (i)
to cover.
“ I
put some manure
in and hilled
the soil atop
of it, afore
I put
in th'
seed."
A person in
bed says "^i//meup," which
means draw the
bedclothes
^P around me.
(2) to
make a mound
over a grave.
WLLHOOTER, X. an
owl. Halliwell.
It is
unlucky to look
into an owl's
nest, "one who
did so became
melan-
choly and destroyed hissel." L.
SILLIER, $. a
slater. L.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
HILLING, s, (i)
the covering of
a book.
(2) bedclothes.
<* Hast any
hi//in on the
i'th* neet; art
warm i' bed
?"
HINDER, V. to
prevent
“If nowt hinders
me, 111 look
in to neet.”
HINGE, adj\ active,
supple, pliant. W.
HINGE, V. to
depend on.
*' What you
say, hinges upon
what he did.”
L. Scarcely local.
HINGIN FTH' BELL
ROPES, idiom, a
time of suspense. Mow
Cop.
From the time
the banns of
a couple are
completed asking in
church, tci
the time they
marry, they are
said to "
hing^ i'/h* Mi
ropes.”
HIPINCH, s. a
cloth or clout
to wrap round
a baby. L.
HIRPLE, V. to
limp. W.
HIS-SEL, pron. himself
HITCH, s, a
limp.
To have a
hitch in one*s
gait is to
be lame.
HITCH, V, to
depend upon.
“It aw
hitches upon ahr
John behavin hissel
whether I come
not.”
HOB, s, a
male ferret Mid-Ches.
HOBBITY HOY or
HOBBLEDY HOY, v,
a lad growing
in
manhood — between a man
and a boy.
HOBBLED, part, animals
are said to
be hobbled when
their forel
are tied loosely
together to prevent
them straying.
HOBBY, s, an
overlooker or bailiff.
Morning ChronicUy Sep.
1840, p. 4,
col. 2. L.
HOB-DROSS, s, a
kind of elf,
fairy, or boggart.
John Morrell, an
old man who
formerly used to
live at Morley
on
borders of Lindow
Common, but who
has been dead
many years, used
profess considerable knowledge
of the ways
of these supernatural beings.
',
said there were
different kinds, having
different habits. Some
were cal
Hob-drosses others Hob-gobs, There
is a lane
in Mobberley called
Ho
Lane, and several
adjacent fields called
the Hobcrofts. These,
he
received their name
from being the
scene of the
exploits of a
noted Hob^i
HOB-GOB. See Hob-dross.
HODDING SCYTHE, s,
an implement which
was formerly us
in clearing land
from rushes.
“The implement is
nothing more than
a short, strong
scythe. Thebl
is about twenty
inches in length,
but curves in
a different way
to the comi
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 67
scythe ; the edf^e
is nearly one
way of it
in a straight
direction from heel
to
point; but the
flat part of
the blade forms
a curvature, which
varies about
four inches from
a straight line.
. . .
The crown of
the rush roots
by a
smart stroke of
the implement, is
scooped out by
the concave part
of the
blade."— Holland's General View
of the Agriculture
of Cheshire (1808),
p. 116.
HODE or HOWD,
v. hold.
“H(wd thi hond." "
H<ywd thi tongue."
HODE THEE or
HOWD THEE, v.
hold fast.
Always said to
the man who
is on the
top of a
load of hay,
when the horse
is about to
move on.
HODE-UP or HOWD-UP,
v, hold up.
Said to a
horse when you
lift up one
of its feet;
or to a
man who is
inclined to "give
in" to any
misfortune.
ttODGE, s. the
stomach of a
pig, cleaned out
and eaten as
tripe.
^OD HOLES, s.
hollows made by
cutting rushes with
a hodding
scythe. See Hodding
Scythe.
“The rush roots
should be carried
off to form
a compost, and
the hod
AoleSf or cavities,
filled level to
the surface," &c. — Holland's General
View
mftke Agriculture of
Cheshire (1808), p.
117.
G, X.
(i) a heap.
A potato hog
is a heap
of potatoes covered
with straw and
soil to keep
out
the frost. The
potatoes are then
said to be
'* hogged up" or
"in the hog."
Xdgh gives "
a hogging" as
a synonym of
hog.
(2) a
year-old sheep; but
probably an imported
word.
>G, V, to
earth up potatoes
in a heap,
or throw compost
into a
heap.
"^C^G-PIG, 5. a
male pig castrated.
IND or
HOYND, v, to
make a hard
bargain, to screw
up.
A landlord who
behaves in this
manner with his
tenants, is said
to hoynd
them. W.
ISTING DAY. See
Lifting Day.
»LD, V* to
bet.
“111 Atf/(/ thee sixpence" means
"I bet you
sixpence." L. Halliwell
gives this as
a Shakespearian word.
"^^CiLDf NG, $.
a farm; a
tenancy; any portion
of land that
a person
occupies.
LING, part, salt-mining
term. Cutting with
a chisel holes
in
various durections from
twelve inches to
thirty or forty
inches
deep, and about
one inch in
diameter for the
purpose of blasting
the rock-salt.
L
1 68
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
HOLL, V, to
throw. Mow Cop.
•*HeA^//ft/astone."
HOLLIN, s. holly,
yZfJC Aquifolia,
Hollins is a
frequent family name
in Cheshire.
HOLT,
r
s, (i)
hold.
HOULT,
HOWD,
HOWT,
"Tak hffwt;' ue.^
take hold.
(2) a
holing, going into
a hole, or
putting a ball
in.
a hole, which
is required at
several games.
“I gained three
points at one
hotdt^^ ue,, at
one holing. W.
HOLUS-BOLUS, a^z^. impulsively, without
consideration. Maccli
FIELD.
HOMMAGED, part, harassed. Mow
Cop.
HOMMER, s, a
hammer.
HOMt' I ^'
^^^ hand.
HONDLE, s, the
handle of a
machine.
HONESTY, 5. the
common garden plant,
Lunaria biennis.
HONEY-FAW, s. (i)
honey-dew.
(2) an
accession of wealth,
a " windfall.'' W
—
LASTON.
A man
who had made
several good speculations was
described as ha^r^'
had “
two or three
good kofuy-faws."
HONEY-POTS, s. a
children's game.
The game consists
in one child
sitting down and
clasping its
together under its
knees. Two others
then lift it
up by its
arms and
backwards and forwards,
whilst they count
twenty; if its
hands give
before twenty is
counted it is
a bad hcney-pot^
if not it
is a good
one.
HONEYSUCKLE, s, Lonicera
Periclimenum^ but extended
als<^
Lotus comiculatus,
HONTLE, s, a
handful
HOO, pron. she.
Generally pronounced "00."
HOODWINKS, s, two
sheaves of corn
inverted over a
hatiacM^ |^
keep out the
rain. Macclesfield. See
Huddbrs, whicl:^-
the more common
word.
HOOK, X. (i)
the hinge of
a field gate
upon which the
staples
gudgeon works.
(2) see Cart.
MS
or
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 69
HOOK OFF, V.
to leave off
work.
HOOP, the same
as Fillet, which
see.
HOOROO, 5. a
hubbub.
HOOTER, $. an
owl. Norton, Middlewich.
Some cows which
had been turned
out of a
good pasture into
a poor one
were described to
me as having
"exchanged a hen
for a hooter,'"'' See
Swop.
HOOZEY, adj. spongy,
not firm. Said
of land. Norton.
A field had
been ploughed which
had a great
(quantity of old
rough grass
upon it, consequently the
furrows did not
Tie'sohd by reason
of the grass
underneath. I was
told, " I
did not expect
the oats to
come up so
well i*th'
Church Field; it's
so hoouyJ”
HOP-OVER, 5. 2L
kind of stile.
It is
made by nailing
a plank on
to two short
posts, at right
angles to the
hedge. If the
fence to be
got over is
high, two planks
are placed one
above
the other, and
crossing eadi other;
the hop-over then
consists of two
steps
up and
two steps to
descend.
HOPPERS, s, salt-making
term. Skeleton salt-crystals, in
shape
like a
hollow, inverted pyramid,
that form and
float for a
time
on the
surface when coarse
salt is being
made.
HOPPIT, 5. (i)
a hopper (of
a machine).
(2) a
basket from which
corn is sown
by hand; also
called Seed-hoppit.
(3) salt-mining term.
The tub in
which rock-salt is
raised to the
surface. Not in
very general use.
^ORN AND HOOF
FAIR. A fair
held at Chester
in February
used formerly to
be so called.
“ At
Chester there are
three very considerable fairs
in the year.
The
first, held on
the last Thursday
in February, is
principally for cattle
and
horses, and is
called Horn and
Hoof fair, ^'^ — Holland's General
View of the
Agriculture of Cheshire
(1808), p. 313.
^ORse, V. salt-making
term. To set
the lumps of
salt upon the
top of
each other in
the hothouse.
^^RSE AND JOCKEY,
s, the old
name for the
George III.
sovereign, with St.
George and the
Dragon on the
reverse
side. L.
There is a
public-house at Helsby
bearing the sign
of " The
Horse and
Jockey."
^^RSE-BEANS, s. salt-making
term. The name
given to a
shaggy
^r broken marl
in which the
brine frequently runs.
The men
Qften call it
Beany Marl, because
the bits of
it resemble beans.
^RSE CAUSEY, s.
an old paved
road for pack
horses.
In several of
the old Cheshire
lanes, which were
formerly either covered
^th grass or
were nothing but
sand, and full
of deep ruts,
axle deep in
mud
M
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
in the
ninler, a narrow
road about three
or four feet
wide was p«*ed
along
side. This was
intended for the
pack-horses or for
fool passengers, anc=:
prevent the farmers'
carts nsiog them
the; had freqnentt]r
monndi of e^
thrown up on
each side [CAtsAire
Sluaf, vol. L,
p. zgi). Several
of tt~^
ancient horse roods
still exist. There
is one such
io the townships
Marthall, and until
the last few
years one gave
its name to
" Pavement La
in Mobberlejr. This
particular eauity was
pulled up a
few years lince,
and
stones used for
repaiiine the h^bwajrs,
the ^ound it
occupied bdog laiifl
the adjoining field;
the name alone
remains. When a
stream of W-
crossed the road,
the causey was
carried over on
a plall, or
a smill brid
but caits bad
to ford the
stream, as is
still the case
in the Moithall Ro
where the causey
is carried over
a picturesque and
evidently veiy
miniature bridge. There
was until lately
a similar ford
at Chorley Hall
n
Alderley Station. At
"Bailey's o'th' Brook"
in Mobberley, and
at Prest'
Brook, streams not
only cross the
road, but flow
along it far
a coDsi '
""
distance. In both
these places the
causey is carried
uloogsidc the
but carts have
to travel along
ibe bed of
the brook. A
hamlet
Allrincham is called
Peel Causeway, and
a road near
Warrington is known
as Wilderspoo] Causeway,
presumably because both
of these places
conM
boast of paved
horse loadi when
all the neighbouring roads
were mere ruttj
HORSE-JUG or HORSE
PLUM, s. a small, red
plum.
HORSE-LACE, )
HORSE-LEYS,
HORSE-PASTURE, )
It is
customary to reserve
a pasture for
the farm horses,
where they are
turned out at
night during the
summer; and in
the course of time such
field*
have acquired one
of the above
names, or similar
ones.
HORSES, s. salt-mining
tenii. Tressels of
wood on which
to fix
plank-runs or stages.
H0RSE-WE5H, s. a
pond by the
roadside, where fami
horses are
taken to drink
and to have
their feet washed.
Kelsall.
HORSING, /nr/. marii appetens,
applied to a
mare.
HOSK, s. a
cough to which
young cattle are
subject.
HOSK, adj. harsh.
A cold, dry
east wind is
said tu be
a hiak wind.
HOSK, V. to
cough.
HOT, s. a
small bag to
hold a poultice
to protect a
sore finger.
HOT, V. to
make hot
“I've holttd the
water."
HOT POT, t.
a dish of
potatoes and meat
baked together, and
strongly seasoned with
pepper.
HOT-US (hothouse), i.
salt-making term. The
stove in which
salt
is dried.
HO-UP or HOW-UP,
txcl a word
used in driving
cattle.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 171
HOUSE, s. (i)
(or HOUSE-PLACE), the
general dwelling-room of
a farmhouse or
cottage.
(2) The act
of a cow,
when turned out
of the shippon,
throwing herself on
a hedge or
hedge bank to
have
a satisfactory scratch,
working away violently
with
her horns, and
often kneeling down
to the work.
L.
Probably this should
have been entered
in Leigh's Glossary
as a verb.
Halliwell gives Mouse,
to stir up,
quoted from Tim
Bobbin.
HOUSEGREEN, s. the
house leek, Sempervivum
tectorum,
HOXJSEING, s. farm
buildings. Obsolete.
The word is
found in a
Cheshire deed dated
1679 where the
following
sentence occurs, "for
the better securing
his now present
houseinge and
buildings." — Letter from s.
P. Earwaker.
Housekeeper, $, any
old piece of
family furniture. Kelsall.
Almost synonymous with
"heirloom."
An old
oak chest in
a cottage was
spoken of by
its owner as
'^ a nice
old
Gamekeeper,*'*
House-PL ACK see House
(i).
Hove, v, to
take shelter. W.
Hovel, s, (i)
a shed in a
field
for young cattle
to shelter in.
(2) the open
portion of a
smithy where the
horses are
shod.
HOVEN,/ar/. swelled.
Said of cows
when from eating
something very indigestible the
stomach
l>ecomes distended with
gas. Green clover,
especially whilst the
dew is upon
it, is
very apt to
cause this disease,
which is sometimes
fatal. See also
Risen On and
Dew-blown.
Cheese which is
puffed up from
fermentation is said
to be hoven.
The pent
Up gases often
lift the surface
until the cheese
becomes almost spherical
and
bursts, unless the
gas is liberated
by pricking the
cheese.
^0\VD, V. hold.
See Hode.
^0\VLE, adj. hollow.
L.
^OVVLER, but more
frequently Owler, s,
the alder, Alnus
glutinosa.
"0\V LIGHT, idiom,
how comes it
? Bredbury.
^OYK. See Hike.
"UD, v. to
collect, to gather
together. Macclesfield, occasionally.
"Udder, v. to
place protecting sheaves
on the corn
stooks.
*1UDDERS, s, the
two sheaves which
are placed, corn
downwards,
on the
top of the
stooks or riders^
to throw off
the rain.
172
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
HUDDLE, V. "
to huddle up
com" is to
make it up
into sheaves. L.
HUD LARK, s.
the skylark, Alauda
arvensis, Frodsham.
So called from
its crest or
hood.
HUERDS, s. tow,
now called Yerds,
which see.
“ I/uerdSf is
that as is
pulled out of
the Terre or
fine Flax." "
Hemp
Hmrds, the couse
that is drawn
out of the
dressed." — Academy
of Armory ^
Bk. HI., ch.
iii., p. 107.
HUFF, s. a
fit of temper.
HUFFY, adj. oflFended.
HUFTED, adj, sullen.
Middlewich.
HUGGER-MUGGER, adv. in
a disorderly way.
Used chiefly to
express an untidy,
unsystematic way of
living.
HULL, i. a
pea or bean
shell.
HULL, IK (i)
to throw. W.
See Holl.
(2) to
shell peas or
beans.
HULLACK or ULLACK,
s, a term
of reproach. Middlewich.
"He's an idle
«//«<:/&."
The word is only
applied to a
man; the corresponding term
for a woman
is Tallack.
HULLOT or HULLART,
s. an owl.
»
HUMBLE, V. to
crumble or fall,
as clay does
after frost
HUMBUG, s, a
sweetmeat made of
boiled sugar, flavoured or
not
with peppermint
HUMMER, V, to
make a soft
lowing noise, as
a cow does
when
she sees her
calf; or as
she does sometimes
when the man
who
usually feeds her
goes into the
shippon. Mobberley.
HUMMO-BEE or HUMMER-BEE,
s. the humble-bee.
HUMOROUS, adj, capricious. L.
HUMOURSOME, adj, capricious.
HUMP, V, to
offend. N. VV.
Ches.
A small shopkeeper
in Halton gave
some of his
neighbours leave to
dry
their clothes in
his garden. Then
other neighbours came
and asked leave.
He did
not like to
permit some and
refuse others; and
the consequence was
that at last
his garden became
quite monopolised for
the drying of
clothes.
This was, naturally,
a considerable annoyance
to him ; he
would gladly have
turned them all
out, but feared
to do so
lest he should
lose their custom
at his
shop. After telling
me his grievances
he added, “
You know it
does not da
to hump folks
when you're in
business."
---^^*.4_V.
■Mm
H3:?£IT£:.:-HT.
j:'^^« "v^rs 'fa?:&
cti? iJcuc tars
:f tc H.Ta
3,1: w tuttt -^.-*^«<t j-_.
yisij :z3aj? Its
sen: rw "zxe
-«:aii n' z^i'zs.
:r ?-t *.
2 "im ■w^ch *
t-;-
cc^ :ii:-fisaii:r:e-i Terrcitf. T'-e
nediu*: "vl? rer-ii
>
'■^'•^^^-id 1: ■»"2ari 3X1- rs
""^^ zBsc :r
ttt: iiisiir^i'viic^i 1;
1 -sie :n
i.t
f-^iT zxr :{
ica.es ■ ttinar*
ijc. :en.i«; inser;
•■=; su: --zr-
^•■■:
j^-iin. jzii :: •¥■■.« i.
!j:g^ r:mc«:uzii v-"~.-n 5^3
ji-rr;iT-nc T.irj .iiixt^
r
«^-i :r5. izii
r:s. ▼■iiL-i is.-:"; res::
1 ii5c^: njit-
TJid ?c3_u<. ^--:
''Ettses :: ernal :iia is
zcar'T la rtissLJie
▼'s* TiOkiad :z
:Jie iiier 5ci..i.
n: :
"1 Wis icnzzbei
zzc.xi -ie -nl, ;r
ihalltid :3 :ii
'hfi iorr -:
•h«:'v -.'r.^-
*C- ■:: :h«»
'::aii :«ksi ▼sirie-.i. It*
rrurse r:e riesse?
•n.r^: :e 1 :■; v
aall MTiz^ 5£:ces
wsr* ■xse: lasr^aii
:i jinall -wf^ZA
Zf *■; i:e-.*<^-f
J*?^ =cr» ±aa.
:iie nr^ it.:ces
vs^ tiiiei : :
:.':e -v-uris '*=^~\
-Zi <:i.^
™u»i. Tzgat izzrses
vtr^ ±121 rx-lei
:2«se iz-i -v-irs ;:i-ii:s-.: ;r: -_z-i
-:■ • r
oarthccbttse vn.>. If 'Jie
zheeses »-;upel'.dS5 -Jiaz
rce n-L. i'lz-n
-vir-t
^\ la ihe diees«£ scil£
mril ".ie rv:
icalcs raiirca-i : "jiese
- .ciis ▼
ire in.':*-:
*'vitsaz-: Wire ^«i"
:c 'Jie f'-«:r
-ear :J:e ▼r:;r:: scali
T:ii ^rrc-i^T vtz.:
^•J paul ai;
ie
r.-~«irir;TF"S;r~ii :f :hisise
':ii-: le^n ti:^'*:
: ::: *:
:• .:
uvi-^ Ijj^- piles
:r' srices i:
was n^^-.Tzrirj :.:
1.1: -i c
:e-:i.:: -rir. •--?
*^wie reprisendr:^ ihirse
13 -jie "v-tiiZ'zirjz "vtrr
zti. A: "_:■; -li'
'.'.r ;: .".r
•^wc^e-i t-^---^ -ach
:ther. izii -Ji-i Lr-rrir.i:.-; r:
i't- : -. :'•
r^ -n:-:i
'^ the
na.tber -:f '*:intir*:iw-£urii3 rv^-rie-.:
:r: -Jz-; -wiS..
I 'iru- :—..:.. 7
2CWL iostcaiof iCTTt-
w*r- wi-^iie: 1:
iich wil^ — ■- :
:':■: -Jie :r_i.:;:
- vl
ice same.
HUXGER.WEED, s. Aljxziru:
zm-i:.
HUXGRELS, s. rafters.
Hailtitili.
HIXGRY^ fl^'. poor.
Bvrensoil which r-qiiris
:r,csu:i: T.ir^rji;; 12
-i.: :.: :«
^:*'r;'7 .jj:;.
^^'XT, r. to
search.
HURBISHED. /«r/. pu'^ai d:-^..
dir:r-=<i-: :t --irLi^cd.
From a
manuAcripc n-ice '-Ji
1 i:-? .r
'VUiniia^. i 1:
.-.-.^rr. vT."ti
*ppuaitly about 1326.
'*'''RCH, adj. lender,
touchj. L.
HURDLE, s, salt-makir.z :.tm.
A -^\.t 'r.
'Jjlzi'.tzl ::" ■''X.-
planks running along each
vAt :: '-.t
yx'\. :':r "s.t
zzr:*:^ ::
'Waving the salt
when draxy. y-
-/. \:.t lar..^.-
i
174
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(tudalen 173)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2527)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
HURGHILL, s. a
little stunted person.
HURLING, ^rt, harrowing
a field after
a second ploughing.
HURN, s. a
horn.
HURRY, s. a
bout, a set
to, a scolding,
a quarrel W.
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(tudalen 174)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2528)
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HURST, s. an
old name for
a wood.
It is
frequently used in
place names, as
Buriey Bursty Haxlehurtt;
ai
b also
a very common
samame, and enters
into surnames as
BrockUhur,
HazUhurst,
HUSH SHOP, s.
an unlicensed house,
where those who
can I
trusted can get
ale or spirits.
L.
HUSTED, fart, said
of the seed
or seeding of
the pennygras
Perhaps a form
of husk. L.
HUTC HIN, s.
a large slice
of bread, or
lump of meat
A hunch.
HUZ, s, a
row, a clamour.
HUZ-BUZ, s. (i)
a cockchafer.
(2) a
row. L.
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(tudalen 175)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2529)
|
CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 75
I.
^\ Prep, in.
The n
b very seldom
sounded, either before
a vowel or
a consonant.
^CE-SHACKLE, j. an
icicle. Ashley.
This does not
appear to be
a common word,
but it was
used by an
Ashley
'aim labourer in
speaking to me,
and I have
represented his pronunciation;
X suspect, however,
that uhUlt was
what he intended,
which would be
a mis-
pionunciation of icicle.
, 5.
ice
Pronounced as one
syllable, eyst.
ICKLAS or ICKERS,
s. icicles.
“It wer so
cowd that it
froz ickas at
his chin eend.''
^I^LRBACK, s. broken
lumps of plaster
casts upon which
plates
have been moulded.
They are sold
by itinerant vendors,
and are used
for whitening stone
floors. This is
only a comparatively modem
term; the old
Cheshire women
did not use
the material, and
the name was
applied to the
new-fangled
^^hitening for floors
in contempt.
^^FlNS AND BUTTINS,
/^/^w. invalid excuses;
hesitation com-
brined with unwillingness. Macclesfield.
“ Dunna male
so many iffins
an* buttins; we
can do beawt
thee.”
^^ X CAN
SPEAK, idiom, an
expression commonly used
in cor-
x"ecting some slip
of the tongue.
“ I
went last Tuesday — no, Wednesday,
if I can spake.”
^^ C>K BUT,
idiom, let or
hindrance. Very much
the same meaning
3.S Iffins and
Buttins, which see.
Wilmslow.
“ He*ll come,
tha may depend
on't, witheawt oather
if or but."
^XE^ prop, namey
the short for
Isaac.
The /
is pronounced long,
and the g
soft. Also Niggie.
^LE, ,. oil
^^ adj, bad,
troublesome.
*• It's as
ill as scutch," said
of some weed
difficult to eradicate.
^*^^ adv. badly,
greatly.
•7// hurt "
is badly hurt;
"/// vexed "
is greatly vexed.
^^1-CONTRIVED, adj. bad
tempered.
176
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(tudalen 176)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2530)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
IMBRANGLED, part, entangled
“ He
geet imbrangUd wi*
a woman."
IMPERANCE, i. impudence.
A very
common provincialism everywhere.
IMPERIOUS, adj, often
used for impetuous.
' ' An
imperious horse. " L,
IN ALL. See
An' all.
IN A
MANNER OF SPEAKING,)
... ,^ ,^
,^,v
IN A
WAY OF SPEAKING, T^^^'
'^ ^^ 'P^^^
"/« a way
o^ spakir^^ one
may say it
has ne'er raint
sin ^I^J
coom m."
INBARK, V. and
s. It is
used to express
the way in
which *^^^
bark of some
trees (yews, &c.)
not only grows
on the outside^
^^
bark commonly does,
but also fills
up interstices. L.
INCH-MEAL, adv. inch
by inch; Uttle
by Uttle; minut^^l>*
Macclesfield.
INCH-SMALL, adv. the
same as Inch-Meal. Macclesfield.
INCLE, 5. tape.
An old
word, now I
think, obsolete, except
in the very
common provcr»- '^
saying, “ As
thick as jVir^-waivers," which
is current about
MobberK-^ ^
and WiLMSLOW.
"They're alius together,
ne'er seen ton beawt
tother; they'r^^
thick as t;f^/(f -waivers.'*
Two centuries ago
the word was
in common use,
as will be
seen from '^ -^
following extract from
the Congleton Accounts,
December i8th, i64i,w^^^
. ^
I copy
from Leigh's Glossary. “
The infection {Lt,
plague) first appeared^- -
one Laplove's house,
which was warded
day and night
at one shilling
ea- "^^^x
His corpse, covered
with a cover,
and tied with
incUy was carried
on a lad
^^-
to be
buried."
INDISGESTION, x. indigestion.
This is the
old classical form
of the word.
IN DRINK, /«/^. drunk.
IN DY,
s. ground maize.
This is, of
course, a modem
word, as the
grain was not
in common
fifty years since.
INKLING, s, a
hint
INNOCENT, adj. (i)
small and neat-looking; applied
to flower^^-
(2) simple, harmless;
applied to an
idiot.
IN NOW, adv,
presently. (Hyde.) IN
NEAW (WilmslctW
Literally een now
(i.e.y even now).
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(tudalen 177)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2531)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. \^^
MSKNSE, V, to
instruct; to make
a person understand.
"Aw conna insense
Mm, no how."
Shakspere uses the
word several times.
INSETT, adj, household.
“Inseit sXMS:'—Ck€shire Will.
L.
INTACK, s. a
not uncommon name
for a field
which, at some
period or other,
has been enclosed
or taken in
from the waste,
or from the
common ploughing or
meadow lands of
the village
community.
I have
a field in
Mobberley called the
"Old Inlack;” but
in this -case
there is no
appearance of its
being waste land
enclosed, as it
is a small,
loQg.sqaare field, in
the middle of
a most fertile
tract of land,
and from the
study of a
map in my
possession, which is
probably nearly 300
years old, it
^^deutly formed part
of the common
ploughing lands of
Mobberley.
“ Newton's Inlack" is
a small field
in Mobberley, not
far from Lindow
Common, and may
very likely have
been a moss-room
attached to some
of the
property belonging to
the Newton family,
which has been
enclosed.
A portion of
Delamere Forest which
has been enclosed
is marked on
the
B».p as "
Janion*s InttukJ'*
INYONS, s. onions.
IRON, V. to
bore a cheese
with a scoop
for the purpose
of tasting it.
IRON FLOWER, s.
Sheeps* Scabious. Jasione montana.
ROSTHERNE.
IRON GRASS. Carex
pracox^ and other
species of sedges
which
grow in poor,
clay pastures. Newhall.
IRON KNOBS, X.
a flower. L.
{Centaurea nigra,)
ISNA, ) .
,
I SVY^ s. a
sort of hide-and-seek game
played by schoolboys.
IT, j^on. used
as a possessive
pronoun.
“ Come
to il mammy."
The country people
always use the
neuter pronoun in
speaking to little
children or pet
animals. It seems
with them to
be a more
endearing term
than either the
masculine or feminine
pronoun, expressing, as
it were,
helplessness.
“// shall have
tV pobs, il shall."
ITE, prep, out
The exact pronunciation is
something between AAl
and /Ig. About
WiLMSLOW the pronunciation b
eawl.
ITTERED,/tfr/. rubbed in,
absorbed. Hyde.
About WiLMSLOW it
is etteredy and
it hardly means
"rubbed in or
absorbed," but rather
"grown in," Rust
or blood would
be said to
be
titer ed into a
knife blade.
IWENS or IVVY,
s. ivy, Hedera
Helix.
178
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(tudalen 178)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2532)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
J.
J A
ANDERS, JAANDICE (Wilmslow), JAUNDERS, s.
the
jaundice.
JABBER, V. to
chatter.
This word seems
to me to
be in such
general use as
to be scarcely
worth
recording, but I
have entered it
because it occurs
in Leigh's glossary.
JACK, s, (i)
the knave at
cards.
(2) a
small pike, Esox
lucius.
J ACK-A-NICKAS, s,
the goldfinch, FringUla
carduelis. Wilmslow.
Also occasionally Jack
Nicker.
JACKE, s. a
coat of mail
(?).
The word occurs
in a Neston
yeoman's will, dated
1525, which was
printed in the
Cheshire Sheafs vol.
i., p. 333 :
"And also I
bequeath to ye
said gilbartt my
grettest pott, my
Jacke and Sallett,
my plogh and
my cartL"
A correspondent of
the Sheaf {y^A.
iii., p. 1 16)
suggests that as
the
yeomen of those
days held their
lands subject to
certain military duties,
the
Jacke and Sallett
were part of
the soldierly "furniture" they
were required
by their leases
to have always
ready for use.
The scUUtt was
probably a
headpiece or helmet.
JACKER, s. salt-making
term. The name
given by the
boilers to a
cheap tar oil.
JACKET O' MUCK,
x. a good
covering of manure
on a field.
L
Scarcely local.
JACK-GO-TO-BED-AT-NOON, s. the
plant Omithogalum umbel-
latum^ which closes
its flowers very
early in the
day.
Very common in
Cheshire gardens.
JACK NICKER, s.
a goldfinch.
JACK NOUP, s,
a titmouse. Cheshire
Sheafs vol. i.,
p. 266.
JACK-OF-THE-HEDGE, s. the
plant Alliaria officinalis.
JACK PLANE, s,
a coarse plane
to take off
the roughest portions
(jags) from timber.
JACK-SHARP, s, a
stickleback.
JACK TOWEL, s.
a roller towel
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(tudalen 179)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2533)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 179
JACK UP, V,
to give up;
but it rather
conveys the idea
of giving
op after continuous
effort, or when
there is no chance of
success.
A man
who has begun
a piece of
work and does
not carry it
through will
say, " Tve
jacked it «/."
A card
player, if his
hand does not
suit him, will
say, “ I
think I shall
jock W
up r
It also implies
failure in business.
*' He
tried hard for
t' mak his
farm do, bur
he could na,
an at
last he had
to jack up
J”
JACKY-DOWKER, s. the
lesser grebe, Podiceps
minor. Middle-
WICH.
}ACOB, s. a
round black plum,
in considerable demand
in the
local markets.
JAFFOCK, V. to
argue, to dispute.
Hyde.
JAG, f. a
small load of
hay or corn.
Mobberley.
“An yo
done le-adin cum
?"
"Yah, aw bur
abaht aya^."
"Ay<igf of Hay,
is a smaU
load." — Academy of Armory^
Bk. III.,
ch. iu., p.
73.
JAG, V, to
trim up the
small branches of
a tree.
JAGGER, s, one
who sells coal
in small loads,
or, in fact,
who carts
odd loads of
anything for hire.
There is a
strong accent on
the ^, or
a sort of
prolongation of the
^ sound.
JAKE, prop, name.
Short for Jacob.
JANGLING, part, idle
talking.
JANNOCK, s. (i)
oaten bread made
into loaves.
(2) used metaphorically for
" the right
thing," " a
fair or straightforward proceeding."
Thus, I had
cut down some
trees in a
fence, and had
promised the farmer
"*t I would
repair the gaps.
Before this had
been done, my
tree fallers
*«^t to the
tenant and offered
to “ rid
up" the roots
for him, of
course at
ws expense. He
refused their offer;
and in telling
me about it
afterwards
^<J» “ I
told them I
thought it wasn't
hardly jannock for
me to rid
up the
foots till my
landlord had put
up the fence."
JANNOCK, adj. fair,
straightforward. About Macclesfield pro-
nounced JONNACK.
“Be jannock:'
JARG, V. (i)
to jar.
A heavy timber
carriage going past
would be said
“ io jarg
the whole
If one
strikes the “
funny bone" it
jargs the whole
arm.
(2) to
quarrel. Mow Cop.
“They rzyihei jarg'ni."
I^ifO
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(tudalen 180)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2534)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
JARLER, s. anythis^
oat of the
coaunon way.
A bficklxjer vbs
came from tbe
Dogliboarliood of Wimlbid
nsed to ^^m
of 2
brick rhat vos
abore tbe cxxnmoa
sze. “ It's
like one o'
owd *'' ^^
Tsaker 5 jsrUrz." I
presome Masj Tasker
«!U same load
cdebritj
V25 given to
telling verj voodcxfsl
stories.
J ARSE
Y. See Jersey
(i).
JARSEY-SPIXXER, j. one
who spins Jersey.
See Jersey (i).
JARSEY-WHEEL. f. a
wheel for spinning
Jeisey. See Jersc:^^^
(I)-
JASPER CRAB, s.
a kind of
apple. Middlewich.
JAW, s. talk,
especially talk which
annoys or aggravates.
“Come, let's have
none o' thy
jaw,"
JAWM, s. (i)
a jarab, the
projecting side of
a fireplace.
(2) the sides
of a door
or window.
“The Jaumes, or
Pecxs, the window
Sides.”— ^Aidhw/ of Arwwyr
Bk. III., ch.
xiiL, p. 473.
JEE, or A-JEE,
adj. awry.
JEE, V. to
suit, or agree
together.
"Tack Hill and
his weife are
allns fxwin aht;
they'n nevcK-
jeeJ?^
JEE, excL said
to a horse
when he is
to turn somewhat
to the right-t
About Middlewich pronounced
Ch^e,
JEE-AHGEN, excl, said
to a plough-horse when
it is to
turn to th<
right at the
end of a
furrow. Mobberley. JEE-EGGE!C ^
(Runcorn, Norton and
the neighbourhood). See
Come-ah
GEN.
JEE-BACK, excl, said
to a horse
when he is
to turn completel;
round to the
right. Mobberley.
JEE-EGGEN. See Jee-ahgen.
JEE-HOCKIN, excl, said
to a horse
when he is
to go from
th
driver, who stands
at the near
side. Delamere.
JEEP, excl said
to a horse
when he is
to go faster.
Norton anc^
the neighbourhood.
In other parts
of the county
it is Jee-up,
JEINT, pronounced almost
like Jaynte^ s.
a joint Wilmslow^
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(tudalen 181)
(Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester. 1886.) (delwedd H2535)
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. l8l
'ELrLY, JILLY (Wilmslow),
v. to congeal.
Blood jeUus when
it stands. When
black-puddings are made
the pig's
blood is stirred
with a stick
for some time
to prevent it
jellying,
EF, prop. name.
Short for Jeffrey.
Mobberley.
Old Jep Bracegirdle, who,
besides being a
shoemaker, was a
bassoon
player, was thus
immortalised in a
local song :
“Owd Jep, he
goes cursin an
spluttrin abeawt,
Wi* a
great lump o*
wood, an a
tay-kettle speawt."
JERRY, s. poor
ale, such as
is sold at
jerry-shops.
JERRY, adj. unsubstantial, carelessly
built. Said of
bricksetters'
or joiners' work.
JERRYMANDER, s. the
plant speedwell. Frodsham.
'* Jerrymander tay"
is a favourite
remedy for convulsions.
JERRY SHOP, s.
a beerhouse.
JERSEY, s.{\) fine
wool
^*yersey is the
finest Wool taken
out of other
sorts of Wool
by combing
it with a
Jersey-Comh." — Academy
of Armory, Bk.
III., ch. vi.,
p. 286.
About Wilmslow it
was always pronounced
Jarsey, and yarsey-spinning
was common in
that neighbourhooa up
to a hundred
years ago, or
perhaps
even into this
century. The wheels
upon which it
was spun were
called
jfctrsey-wkeels. My correspondent, Mr.
William Norbury, has
one in his
possession which formerly
belonged to Dame
Barlow, of Fulshaw
Hall. It
was spun by
the pound by
those who made
a trade oi
jar sey-s pinning, and
when the pound
was spun it
could be taken
home and the
money for spinning
it obtained.
(2) a
rough head of
hair.
“Jersey, or rather
Jaysey, a ludicrous
and contemptuous term
for a lank
head of hair,
as resembling combed
wool or flax,
which is called
Jersey. "
“ He
has got a
fine Jaysey" W.
JERSEY-COMB, s. {Academy
of Armory.) See
Jersey (1).
]ERT, V. to
throw a stone
by jerking it.
JERUSALEM COWSLIP, s.
Pulmonaria officinalis.
JETTY or JUTTY
(Macclesfield), JITTY (Wilmslow),
v. to
suit or agree.
“ They
dunna seem to
jetty."
JEW, t;. to
defraud.
JEW'S EYE, s.
anything very valuable. Wilmslow.
JIGGLE JAGGLE, also
JIG JAG, adf
irregular, not straight.
“ The
brook runs all jiggle jaggle." L.
JOJE, V. to
join. Jeine (Wilmslow),
almost like Jane.
1 82
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
JINNY, s. salt-making
term. A kind
of lever used
m lifting the
pans when raised
fov repairs.
JINNY GREEN-TEETH, s.
a ghost or
boggart haunting wcUs
or
ponds.
Often used as
a threat or
warning to children
to prevent them
going Mtr
the water, lest
“ Jinny GreiH-tetth
should have them."
See aho Nelly
Long Arms.
JITTY. See Jetty.
JOB, s, a
blow with anything
pointed.
JOB, V, (i)
to strike with
the point of
anything.
“ What
have you done
to your eye?"
^* Kw
jobbed a sprinker
into *t"
(2) to
deal in store
cattle.
(3) to
do odd jobs
generally, such as
going to the
mill with
a neighbour's batch,
or carting small
things for hire.
(4) bricksetters and
joiners also speak
of jobbing when
they
do small jobs,
such as repairing
ovens, grates, &c,
or
mending gates.
JOBBER, s, (i)
a dealer. See
Cow-jobber.
(2) a
mechanic who does
odAjobs^ such as
repairing.
We should be
perfectly well understood
if we said
of a bricksetttr
or 1
joiner, '* He's
a good mon
at new work,
but he's noo
jobber"
(3) one who
carts odd loads
for hire.
An old
man who thus
occupied himself had
on his cart,
"John Birch-
enough, Mobberley, Jobber"
(4) a
thatch peg; generally
made of deal,
and cut to a
long thin point.
Delamere.
JOCKEY, s, a
word frequently used
in describing a
person who has
something peculiar in
his character, as
"a mischievous jockey;
"a sharp jockey/*
It is also
applied to things
which are n<^
quite comme ilfaut^
as “ a
tough jockey;'* “a
hard-faced jockey,
said of a
hard apple.
JOELLIS, s. jewels,
in a Cheshire
will (Margaret Holforde's)
of
the sixteenth century;
it marks the
gradual transition from
,
French joaillerU to
jewels. L.
JOGGLE-JOINT, s. a
term in masonry;
a sort of
dovetailed joint.
JOGGLE R, s, building
term; a block
of wood built
into a wall
to
nail to. Kelsall.
JOHN APPLE, s.
a very favourite,
old-fashioned variety of
apple,
a good
keeper, and excellent
for cooking. The
limbs and
branches grow very
upright.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 83
JOHNNY FAIR, s,
a hiring fair
held at Macclesfield.
JOINER, f. a
carpenter.
The word carpenter
for a worker
in wood is,
now, almost unknown
in
Cheshire; but Carpaiter
Grass and Proud
Carpenter are names
of plants,
which are not
uncommonly used. Formerly,
however, a joiner
was a man
who did light
work, such as
making doors and
windows; a carpenter,
one
who framed the
heavy timbers of
a house, such
as the floors
and roofs, and
the two trades
were distinct; they
are now united
under the n&me joiner.
J CDINT EVIL,
5. a disease
of the joints,
chiefly the hocks,
affecting
calves, and occasionally cows.
It causes swelling
and lameness,
and is
known scientifically as
Arthritis, About Wilmslow
and
the district pronounced
Jeint-evil. See Jeint.
JOINTS, knuckles. JEINTS
(Wilmslow).
JOLLY, adj. maris
appetms, L.
JONNACK. See Jannock.
JORNEY, s. a
journey.
“Er euer ye
icmie^ cause servaunt
with speede
To compas thy
barlie land where
it is neede."
Tusser {Five Hundred
Points)^ E. D.
S. ed., p.
134.
I take
it that iomie
here means "to
do a day's
work" and not
"to
take a
journey," but the
old pronunciation of
the word was
evidently the
same as the
Cheshire pronunciation of
the present day.
JORUM, s. a
large quantity of
anything to eat
or drink.
JOSS, s, a
foreman. Used in
Macclesfield. L.
JOW, X. (1)
a kind of
earthenware vessel. Middlewich. Mac-
clesfield.
“ Oi
jest set \}^'
jow uppo th*
flure, and if
that soft Jim
didna goo
an' kick it,
an' smashed it
aw to atoms."
(2) dew; or
perhaps more correctly
as to sound
Djow,
which see.
JOW, V. to
knock together. Middlewich, Macclesfield.
“If tha does
na come in
this minute aw'll
jow thy yed
an' th*
waw together."
JOW-MUG, s. a
large earthenware mug.
Mobberley.
These mugs are
of red earthenware, glazed
with black inside;
they are
nanow at the
oottom and wide
at the top,
and are used
chiefly for kneading
bread and washing
clothes.
JVJD, prop, name,
the short for
George. Also Juddie.
I vJKE, X.
a fellow, said
somewhat in an
ironical sense. Mobberley.
“ He's
a sweet juke."
JUKED, part, duped.
Mow Cop.
1 84
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
JUMBLES, s. very
rich thin cakes,
made somewhat in
the form cr'-^
true-lovers' knots flattened. Knutsford, Mobberley.
JUMP, V, to
fit end to
end.
When a
joiner, in putting
up rails, nails
them to the
stumps exactly end
to end, instead
of sloping the
ends off and
laying them one
on the other,
he
calls it “ Jumping" the
rails.
JUMPER, s. a
man's over-flannel jacket,
like that worn
by navvies.
L.
JUMP- JOINTS, 5. a
term in masonry,
when the outer
row of bricks
in a
camber arch are
not concentric with
the inner row,
but have
their square ends
laid on the
inner circle of
bricks.
JUMPS, s. stays
worn by wet-nurses;
easily loosened, to
facilitate
nursing the child.
W.
JUNKETTING, s. a
pleasure party, where
there is plenty
of good
eating and drinking.
JURNUT or YERNUT,
s. a pignut,
Bunium flexuosum,
JURR, s, an
accidental blow or
push.
JURR, V. to
knock against a
person accidentally.
“ Yitjurred agen
me, and made
me faw deawn."
JUSTLY, adv. exactly.
“ Aw
dMuxOi justly know,"
I don't exactly
know.
JUST MEET or
JUST MEET NEAW,
adv. (i) at
once, now.
“ Aw
conna come jus/
meet neaw,"
(2) lately.
“ He
towd me, just
meet neaw, that
th' mon were
djed,"
JUST NOW, adv.
presently.
“ Aw'm
comin just neaw.^*
JUTTY. See Jetty.
JY, s.
joy.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 85
K.
KADLE DOCK, or,
less commonly, KETTLE
DOCK, s.
(i) Stnecio Jacobaa.
Mobberley, Rostherne.
(2) Anthriscus sylvestris. Mobberley, occasionally.
(3) Petasites vulgaris. Gatley,
KAHE, s, a
cow.
The pronnnciation is something between
kay and kye.
Plural Kahes
ud KiYB or
Kahe. The former
is used when
several individual beasts
21% spoken of;
the latter is
equivalent to Kine,
and is applied
to the species.
Occasionally pronounced Keaw.
KAILYARDS or KELYARDS,
s. the name
of certain orchards
now part of
the city of
Chester, which formerly
belonged to the
monks of St
Werbergh.
^LE. See Cale.
J^DLE GOSTES, s.
goose grass (Gerard's
Herbal). L.
This would be
Galium Aparint, but
in all probability
Orchis mascula is
^ plant intended
by Gerard, who,
moreover, does not
specially state that
^ondli-gostis is a
Cheshire name.
^Y-FISTED, adj. left-handed. Mobberley,
Wilmslow. See
Capaw.
KAYS
KEYS
J. the
seeds of the
sycamore or ash.
KAZARTLY, adj, hazardous,
uncertain, liable to
accident. Min-
SHULL Vernon, Mobberley,
Wilmsijow. See Cazzlety.
“ Owd
Sammy is but
a very kazartly
loife i'th* lease;
he met pop
off any minute."
^^K» f. (i)
to Stand a
cart up on
end.
l^erhaps more correctly
it means to
partially raise the
front of the
cart so
“ to
empty the contents
out behind. In
the old tumbrils,
or dung-carts,
*«ie is an
arrangement by which
the cart can
be kept kecked
at any angle,
^ ^t
the dung may
be hooked out
from behind with
a muck-hook as
the
^ is
drawn along the
field. The arrangement
consists of an
upright piece
? ^on
(formerly it was
made of wood)
attached to the
front of the
cart
J^^ework, which works
through a slit
in the cart
body. It is
called the
*^^*^, and is
perforated with numerous
holes. The body
of the cart
is
''"iged to the
axle. When the
cart is kecked,
the front is
raised, and a
peg is
^^ into one
of the holes
in the keeker
to keep it
at the required
angle.
(2) to
raise anything with
a wedge so
as to make
it
Stand at an
angle.
N
1 86
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
KECKER, s, an
upright piece of
wood or iron
in front of
a tumb:^B:il
to enable the
body of the
cart to be
raised to any
angle. S^^se
Keck (i).
KECKERPEG or KECKING-PEG, s.
a peg placed
in the uprig^ bt
bar in
front of a
tumbril to keep
the cart kuked
at any angT^lc
See Keck (i).
KECK-HONDED, adj. left-handed, and
consequently clumi
Macclesfield.
KECKING OVER, part,
leaning. Hyde.
KECKLE-STOMACHED, adj. squeamish. Macclesfield.
KECKLING, KECKLY, or
KEGLY, adj\ unsteady,
ricketty, t
heavy. KIGLY (S.
Ches.).
KECKS or KECKSY,
s. many umbelliferous plants,
especiaL
AnthriscuSy Hcracleumy and
Angelica; plural Kecksies.
KECKSY, adj. hollow,
like a kecks.
Celery, when it
is inclined to
run up to
stalks, would be
called " ▼(
kecksy:'
Leigh gives as
an old Cheshire
proverb, '* As
hollow as a
ktcky
KEDLOCK, s.{\) the
charlock. L.
Probably the wild
rape, Brassica Napus^
is intended rather
than the tme-^
charlock, Sinapis arvensis,
as the former
is an extremely
common plant in
Cheshire, the latter
not.
(2) HeracUum Sphondylium^ Angelica
sylvtstriSy and
probably all large
Umbelliferoe. Delamere.
Also called Keglus
at Delamere.
A piece of
the large valerian,
Valeriana officinalis^ was
also sent me
labelled, kedlock or
^^'^/f^,*but it had,
perhaps, been mistaken
for Anetlica.
The large hollow
stems of these
plants were formerly
used with spinning
wheels, about Delamere,
to wind the
ball of yam
upon.
KEEN, V, (i)
to cauterize.
(2) to
light or kindle.
See Kin.
KEENBITTEN, adj. (i)
frostbitten. L.
(2) hard to
deal with.
Said of a
man who is
of a grasping
nature, and will
have his "pound
of
flesh" and more
if he can
get it.
KEEND. See Kin.
KEENDING. See Kindin.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 87
KEEP, X. (i)
pasture.
Leigh gives as
an old Cheshire
saying, “ Oo
won't stand keep^^^
said of a
person spoilt by
prosperity.
(2) maintenance.
KEEP, r. to
maintain.
KEEPING COMPANY, part,
courting.
KEEP ON, V.
to continue.
“Yo mun keep
on for a
moile or so,
and then turn
to yer reet."
“He kept on
talking, till no
one could get
a word in
edgeways."
“ It
keeps on raining."
KEEVE, V, to
raise the front
of a cart
so as to
shoot out the
contents; or to
overturn a barrow
for a similar
purpose.
Also used intransitively as,
“ Th* stack's
keeved o'er into
th' lone" — 1.^.,
the stack has
fallen over into
the lane.
KEFFIL, V. to
knock lumps off
the edge of
a flag with
a pitcher.
WiLMSLOw. See Pitcher.
“ My
song ! heaw
he does bu'
kejffil it"
EGGING, part, being
a forced teetotaler
for a month,
to gain
some temporary end.
“ Yo're ony
just keggin a
bit, Bob ! — oi'm afeart
yole soon be
at
it agen as
hard as ever." L.
This is probably
a modern secondary
meaning of an
old word.
^EGLUS, X. See
Kedlock (2).
KEG-MEG, s. (i)
meat of the
lowest possible quality.
See Kek-mek.
(2) a
pert, saucy wench.
Wilmslow.
“ Howd
thi tongue, tha
keg-meg^ thy tongue's
alius ready, an
thaVt alius puttin
thy motty in.
'^K-MEK, adj, squeamish
or dainty about
one's food. Maccles-
nELD.
“ Hoo
winner ate her
pobs winner er?
by leddy, wi*n
ave for t'
gi* her cakes
an wine hoo*s
getten so kek-mek
wi her atin."
^LF, 5.(1) a
shelf.
(2) a
curious term with
treefellers; it means
a narrow bit
left (as a
temporary support) uncut,
whilst they are
cutting round the
tree on the
opposite side.
“ I
mun leave a
kelf^ L.
^NCH, X. (i)
a bend, as
in an iron
rod.
(2) a
sprain.
^NCH, V. to
bend.
It implies that
some rough force
is required in
order to effect
the bend.
1 88
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
KENTE,/tff/. taught. — Chester Fiays^
i. 32. Halliwell.
KEOUT, s. a
little barking cur-dog.
Randle Holme, in
his Academy of
Armory, uses skaat
or kaut for
tl
same, which seems
to designate scout
for its etymology,
and this is
part
confirmed by that
line of Tusser :
“ Make
bandog thy scout- watch to
bark at a
thief." W.
KEOW, s. a
cow. See Kahe.
KERRY, s, noise,
disturbance. Mow Cop.
KERRY, V. to
rush about with
bustle or commotion. Mil
Cheshire.
A dog
rushing after a
cat or rabbit
would be said
to be kirrying
about
KERVE, V, to
turn sour. W.
See Carve.
KESMUS, s. (1)
Christmas.
(2) evergreens used
at Christmas.
^' Mester, win
yo let us
get a bit
o Kesmtis ait
o'th' gardin ?"
KESTER, prop, name,
short for Christopher. Congleton.
KETCH, s, part
of the flEistening
of a door
or gate.
KETCH, V, to
catch. Knutsford and
district.
KETTLE, s, hatting
term. A cauldron.
The kettles used
by hatters are
very large, and
have planks fixed
roun
them so that
about six men
can work at
each kettle.
KETTLE DOCK. See
Kadle Dock.
KEYPE or KYPE,
v. to make
a wry face;
but especially to
loa
sour or sullen
about the mouth.
KEYS. s. See
Kays.
KEYTHUR, s. a
cradle. Bredbury.
KEZZICK (Keswick), j.
the name of
an apple, the
codlin.
KIBBLE or KIBBO,
s. a feat
of strength; such
as lifting a
sack
corn from the
ground to the
shoulder without help.
Leigh gives the
word as kibbo
kift, and explains
that "this,
Cheshire, is called
a proof of
great strength, namely,
for a man
to sUnd ir
half-bushel, and lift
from the ground,
and place on
his shoulders a
load
wheat, that is
14 score weight.'
Years ago these
feats of strength
were mc:
commonly attempted than
now; and I
recollect on one
occasion a yo«.
fellow trying to
lift a 6olb.
weight in one
hand and raise
it high up
above 1
head. He overbalanced himself,
and the weight
dropped upon the
chest
a man
who was taking
his nap after
dinner in the
bam, and, as
their custo
is, lying flat
on his back.
Of course, he
was seriously hurt,
but ultimate
recovered.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 89
KICKLE or TICKLE,
adj. topheavy, unsteady.
KID, X. a
faggot of wood.
Ldgh gives as
an old Cheshire
saying, " Nought
is counted six
score to
the hundred, but
old women and
gorse kids,^^ There
is, however, another
proverb, which b the reverse
of the above,
namely, “ Everything
six score to
the hundred but
men, money, and
bricks."
KID or
KID UP, v,
to bind wood
into faggots.
Bakers* ovens were,
formerly, all of
them heated with
kids, which were
made uniform and
of such a
size that they
could be conveniently put
into the
oven without being
unbound.
KID-CROW, s, a
calf-crib. — Cheshire
Sheafs vol iL,
p. 194.
Wilbraham gives the
form kid-crew as
well.
KIDDLE, V. to
dribble, said of
a child when
it is cutting
its teeth.
Macclesfield, Wistaston.
•• What, is
it kiddlin awready
?"
KIFFEY, %, the
small wooden ball
or block used
in the game
of
Hockey or Shinney,
called in Cheshire
Baddin. L.
KIGLY, adj, unsteady.
S. Ches.
^LL, s. a
kiln. A brick-kill,
a lime kill,
a maut-kill, &c.
About WiLMSLOW and
Mobberley only one
k is sounded
in brick-kill^
^hich becomes brickUL
There is a secondary sense
in which the
word is sometimes
used. The
^ most
familiar to farmers
is the millkill^
on which the
oats are dried
'jrforc being ground
into meaL The
kfiln is filled
with damp oats,
and when
these are sufficiently dry,
a fresh lot
is put on,
a kiln full
at a time.
When
^me of
the old topers
of Mobberley (and
there were many
in my younger
wys) were drinking,
they would begin
early in the
morning, and be
drunk
before noon. They
would call that
“ one /&///" or
" one kill
full," and would
go and
lie down and
sleep off the
effects of the
drink, so as
to be ready
for
another ">h*i7" in
an hour or
two; and thus
the operation was
repeated till
*" the loose
money was spent.
'^1'LER, X. salt-making
term.
"A ssM-kiiler was
a man employed
in kiln-drying salt." —
Cfushire Sheafs vol.
i., p. 291.
Leigh, however, gives
a different explanation. See
Killers of Salt.
At the
present time at
Northwich a “
killer ^^ is a man
who weighs the
¥^t; and this
corresponds very nearly
with Leigh's definition.
But the term
^ nearly obsolete.
WLLERS OF SALT,
s. salt-making term.
fillers of salt
were, in old
days, the arbitrators
between buyers and
•^ers, and were
charged with looking
sharply after those
who undersold the
town's regular price.
L.
'^LLING, part, salt-making
term. Weighing salt.
'^H-LING-HOUSE, s. salt-making
term. A weighing-room.
1 90
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
KILT, parL killed.
KIN or
KIND, v. to
kindle a fire
or light a
candle. Keen (Hyde),
Keend (Wilmslow).
KINDIN (Delamere), KEENDIN
(Wilmslow), s. small
firewood
for lighting a
fire.
“ We*re loike
t*ave a bit
o' kindin this
weather."
Years ago, when
wife-selling was not
unknown, the following
conversatioD
was heard near
Wilmslow :
“Bill; what did't
do wi that
woman tha took
off mi ?"
''Aw sowd her
to owd .
. . for
a looad o*
turf, an aw'd
a
bit o'
keendin beside."
I suppress names,
as one of
the actors is
still living, aged
ninety-two.
KINDLE, V. to
bring forth young.
Only used when
speaking of certain
animals, as the
hare, the rabbit,
I
think rats and
mice, and, Wilbraham
adds, the cat.
KINDLING STUFF, s.
wood, shavings, &a,
used to light
a fire.
L.
More correctly called
kindin. See above.
KINDLY, KEINDLY (Wilmslow,
almost like Kayndly),
KOINDLY, adv, heartily.
•• Thank you
koindly,'*
KING CHARLES IN
THE OAK, s.
a garden variety
of poly-
anthus.
The calyx is
converted into a
ring of waved
leaves, each of
which is
blotched with a
large crimson spot;
the spots occasionally vary
to white.
KING COUGH, s.
another form of
Chin Cough. L.
Whooping
cough.
KING-CUP, s. an
occasional name for
the three common
species
of buttercup. Ranunculus
acris, R, bulbosus^
and R, reptns,
Tabley.
KINGDOM COME, idiom,
(i) death.
(2) a
condition of happiness. Maccles-
field.
KING FERN, s,
Osmunda regalis,
KING PEAR, s,
the Windsor pear.
A fine
old variety, almost,
if not quite,
discarded from modern
gardens.
KINGS AND QUEENS,
s. the largest
grains in a head of
oats.
They ripen a
little before the
rest, and are
very liable to
be shed whilsB
the com is
being cut, unless
the farmer is
careful to begin
cutting before the
whole crop is
dead ripe.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. IQI
KLING'S FISH-BOARD, s.
The "Atn^^s Fish-board
at Chester" is
mentioned in an
old tract in the
British Museum. It
was probably a
stall at which
the quality of
foreign fish
was tested, and
at which the
Mayor, as Clerk
of the Market,
bought such
fish as he
chose for the
city's use. — {Cheshire Sheafs
vol. i. 158,
where there
is an
interesting account of
the various orders
relating to the
purchase of fish
at the
king's board, such
orders extending back
as £e^ as
the reign of
Henry
VIIL)
INK, 5. (i) an accidental
twist in anything,
as in wire
or rope.
(2) a
sprain, or rheumatic
pain.
•* Aw've getten
a kink i'th'
back."
ISSING-BUSH, X. a
bush of holly,
ivy, or other
evergreens, which
is bung up
in farm kitchens at
Christmas, and serves
the purpose
of the
mistletoe.
Mistletoe does not
grow in the
North. Now, however,
it is largely
imported into Liverpool,
Manchester, and other
large towns, from
the West
of En|[land, and
the bush frequenUy
contains a spray
of the mystic
plant.
The kissing-bushes are
usually prepared bv
the farm lads,
on Christmas Eve,
and they are
often tastefully decorated
with apples, oranges,
and bits of
gay-
coloured ribbon. I
have occasionally seen
tnern made upon
a framework of
hoop iron, something
in the form
of a crown,
with a socket
at the bottom
to
hold a
lighted candle.
iCISSING CRUST, s,
the rough crust,
where the upper
part of a
''tin loaf" separates
from the bottom.
KISSING SCAB, s.
a sore place
on the lips
or cheek.
If a
girl (or boy)
have any eruption
about the mouth
they are sure
to be
toised and told
they have been
kissing their sweetheart,
and have got
a
^sin^ scab in
consequence.
KISS-ME-DICK, s, the
plant, Euphorbia Cyparissias^ which
is very
frequently seen in
cottage gardens.
^IT, f. a
set of people,
a company.
'* The
whole kit of
them."
KITLING, s, a
kitten.
KITTLE, V, to
bring forth kittens.
“A cat
kittleth; a litter
of kittleings" —
Academy of Armory ^
Bk. II., ch.
vii., p. 134.
^VER, 5. (i)
a cover. W.
(2) a
stook of corn
in a field;
more frequently used
in
the plural.
In most glossaries
I find that
kivers are described
as consisting of
twelve
“*▼€$. In Cheshire
they have only
ten, four at
each side, and
two hudders
w cotering, which,
when not in
use as coverers,
are generally reared
up at
"»e ends of
the kivers.
»^R, V. to
cover.
L
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
KNACKER, s. an
old, worn-out horse.
Macclesfikld.
KNACKERS, s. testicles.
KNACKETY. L. See
Nacketty.
KNAGG. L. See
Nag.
KNAGGY. See Naggy.
KNATTER. L. See
Natter.
KNATTY. L. See
Natty.
KNICKY-KNACKY, adj. handy,
adroit W.
KNIT, z/. (i)
to grow together,
as the fractured
portions of a
bone do.
(2) to
form for fruit,
from the blossom.
Potatoes also are
said to knif
when the tubers
begin to form.
(3) to
cluster as bees
do in swarming.
It is
popularly supposed that
''ringing the bees,"
that is, beating
pans,
fireirons, and such
things together, causes
a swarm of
bees to knif,
and that
without such a
din they will
most likely fly
away and be
lost
KNOBS, s. lavender.
“What have you
been doing?"
“ AwVe
been a cutting
knobs.” L. See
Neps.
KNOCKER-KNEED, adj\ knock-kneed.
KNOCKER-UP, s, one
who calls up
factory hands in
the morning.
The very curious
avocation of waking
the mill hands
in the manufacturing
towns early in
the morning, so
that they may
be able to
get to their
work in
good time, and
avoid being fined
for being late,
is quite a
special and
recognised business. The
knocker-up is paid,
I believe, about
twopence per
head per week.
He carries a
long pole with
which he taps at
the bedroom
windows of his
clients.
KNOCKING ABOUT, part
a word of
rather wide meaning,
but
difficult to explaia
If there are
many people in
a place it
would be said,
“ There's lots
o'
folks knocking about.
If anything is
temporarily lost it
would be said
to be
“ knocking abecU
somewheere."
KNOCK OFF, V,
(i) to cease
from labour.
(2) in
places where there
are no bells
or steam
horns the foreman
workman often makes
a
peculiar hammering, which
the men hear,
and then know
that it is
time to leave
off
work.
He is
said to be “
knocking off” He
also *' knocks on"
in the same
manner.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 193
KNOCK OFF SHOP,
v. hatting term.
To pass a
resolution to
refuse taking out
any more work
until a real
or supposed
grievance has been
remedied.
KNOTCHELLED. W. See
Notchelled.
KNOTGRASS, s. Polygonum
aviculare.
KNOTTINGS. L. See
Nottings.
KNOWED, V. perfect
tense of know.
KNOWING, adj, clever,
crafty, sly.
KNOWLEDGABLE, adj. clever,
well-informed.
KNUTSFORD DEVIL, s.
the plant Convolvulus
septum.
This name was
communicated by a
Mobberley man who
now lives at
Poynton, but I
think it is
not very generaL
KYE or
KAHE, s. plural
of cow.
Used collectively for
the species in
the same sense
as kine,
KYPE. SceKEYPE.
I
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
L.
LACE, V. to
beat
LAD, s, man,
boy, husband.
The name, like
lass, is not
confined to any
age. A man
will address hi
boon companion as '*owd lad;"
and a woman
firequently addresses he
husband as *'iW.*'
LADE, V. to
bale out water;
to empty a
pond by means
of bucket:
and scoops.
The process is
frequently resorted to
in (»der to
catch fish. Brooks
ar
sometimes dammed up,
and the water
allowed to run
ofi* below the
dam
Trout and eels
remain in the
deeper pools left
by the receding
water, whid
are then laded,
and a considerable number
of nsh are
taken. I have
beei
present at the
lading of the
"plunge hole" below
Mobberley Mill Dam
when nearly a
hundredweight of fine
eels have been
thus captured.
LADGEN, LAGGEN (W.),
LEDGEN, or LEGGEN,
v. to do®
the seams of
wooden vessels, which
have opened from
being kep
too dry, by
putting them into
water. The water
swells the woo<
so as
to close the
seams, and makes
the vessels again
usable.
LADIES* CUSHIONS, s,
the sea pink,
Armeria maritima, whicl
forms dense pink
tufts, like cushions. L.
LADIES* FINGERS, s.
a kind of
apple. Middlewich.
LADIES* PURSES, s.
the flower of
the Calceolaria. Maccles
FIELD, WiLMSLOW.
LADING AND CALING,
idiom, saving in
little things, so
as t(
make both ends
meet
*' Oo*s a
sore life on
't, for t^mak
things do; oo's
alius ladin am
cali'm.*'
LADING CAN, s.
a small tin
can, containing two
or three quarts
used for taking
hot ¥rater out
of a boiler.
LAD*S LOVE, s.
the plant Artemisia
Abrotanum, See also
Ole
Man and Southernwood.
The last is
the commonest name.
LADY COW, X.
the lady bird,
Coccindla septempunctata.
^^ADY CRAB, X.
a kind of
apple. Middlewich. ^
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 95
LADY DONE» idiom,
a term of
praise. Kelsall.
At Utkinton Hall,
near Tarporley, there
once lived a
certain Lady Done,
whose character and
manners seem to
have rendered her
very popular
amongst the country
people, and whose
memory appears still
to be cherished.
So that, when
wishing to praise
a woman, it
is not uncommon
to say of
her,
“ There's a
Lady Dime for
you."
Ray gives the
proverbial saying, ''As
fair as Lady
Done,"“
LADY GRASS, j.
the striped garden
variety oi Phalaris
arundinacea,
LADY POPLAR, the
Lombardy poplar, Foptdus
fastigiata. W.
Ches.
LADY'S MILK-SILE,
s. lungwort, Pulmonaria officinalis.
It is
a great favourite
in cottage gardens.
Sile is the
Cheshire pronunciation of soil,
meaning earth, or,
as in this
case, a stain;
and a legend is
still current in
the county that
during the flight
into Egypt some
of the Blessed Virgin's
milk fell on
its leaves and
caused the white
spots with which they
are now stained.
LADY smock, s. the
plant Cardamine pratensis,
LADY'S NEEDLEWORK, s,
the plant Torilis Anthriscus, Delamere.
LAG, s. a stave
of a cask.
LAG, v. to
loiter.
LAG, interj. a word used
in driving geese.
L A.C5GEN. See Ladgen.
^-•AITH, s, leisure,
rest. LEATH (Mow
Cop).
“One wants a
bit o* leath
sometimes."
^^ITH, adj. loth,
unwilling. W.
^-^'ViCE, V, to
play. W.
This is still
a North-country word,
but is, I
think, quite obsolete
in
dheshire.
^ ^
^*CE WEED, s.
Polygonum Persicaria and
P, Hydropiper,
The name is,
I think, used
chiefly on the
western side of
the county.
[, V,
to beat
BS' EARS, s,
the plant Stachys
lanata, often grown
as a
t>order edging.
Leigh assigns the
name to the
Rose Campion (Lychnis
coronaria). I
Jfcave never heard
it given to
the latter plant,
though the name
is not
^x^ppropriate; it is,
however, particularly appropriate
to the former.
:BS' pumices, see
Pummices.
^^MB'S TONGUE, s,
the plant Chenopodium
album,
LANCASHIRE
GLOVES, s, hands
without gloves. L.
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196 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
LAND, s. freehold
land, in contradistinction to
leasehold. Bunbury.
“It's not on lease, it's
land.”
LAND CRESS, s.
Cardamine amara. W.
Ches.
LANDOLES, s. probably
the same as
Doles or Dows,
q.v.
'* Pieces or
parcels of land
or landoUs situate
lying or being
in a certaii
meadow in Mobberley." — Extract from
deed dated 1834.
This meadow, called
''The Birchen Lands," formerly
consisted o
unfenced lands or
butts belonging to
different owners.
LAND STONES, s.
the name given
in Cheshire to
the pebbles and
boulders turned up
in digging and
draining; . .
. These
pebbles are found
from a half
ounce to some
tons in weight
and used in
former days to
be used as
the sole material
for paving
and making roads.
. . .
It is a
common idea wiUi
th<
peasantry that "
stones grow.'* L.
LANGOT, s,{i) waste
threads.
(2) unpleasant remnants
of any kind,
old scores. Ai
old debt hanging
over one is
a langot,
“He keeps pretty
straight wi his
acceaunt now; bu'
there*s ai
owd langot 1'
th' book."
The word is,
perhaps, oftener than
anything applied to
an old ale-score.
LANKY, adj, (i)
thin, long-legged.
(2) appertaining to
Lancashire.
Sometimes used in
Cheshire in reference
to the "
up and down
" fight-
practised in that
county, which b
not tolerated amongst
our own pugili
If a
Cheshire man resorted
to "punsing" he
would be stigmatised
"feighan Lankyy
"They fowten up
an deawn, Lanky
fashion."
LAOZE or LEOZE,
s, a retort
for inquisitiveness.
Thus if a
child asks "What's that?"
and the person
appealed tc
not choose to
tell, the answer
will very likely
be " Laou
for medc
Common, I think,
to various dialects.
LAP, s. (i)
a fold in
cloth or paper.
Weavers make frequent
use of the
word.
“I tried my
cutt, and my
cutt mark b
only ten lap5
up
beam; I shan
finbh it by
noon."
(a) the leaf
of a table.
i section of
a clothes horse.
X)tt-taib; but these
are generally specified
as '
hps."
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 97
or LAP
UP, V. to
fold an)rthing, to
make a parcel,
to wrap up.
''When tha*s getten
a cowd, tha
should get some
buttermilk
porritch, sweetent wi'
traycle, an* plenty
o* ginger in
em, just afore
tha goes t*
bed ; an' put
thi stockin reawnd
thi throat, an*
lap thi
flannel petticoat reawnd
thi yed, an*
lie still i'th*
momin, an' let
Tummus bring thee
a cup o*
whot tay, or some
rosemary tay, an*
lie still an*
try for t*
get of a
muck-swat.”
L.A.X* PINCH, s, a
lapwing, Vane/ius cristatus,
1^ A^I^WEED, s.
the wild hop.
L.
The plant intended
is probably Polygonum
Cottvoltmius^ which, in some
parts of Cheshire,
is called Wild
Hop, and which
laps or winds
around
other plants.
LA.RGE DICKY DAISY.
See Dicky Daisy.
L-ARN or LEARN,
t^. (i) to
teach.
(2) to
learn.
LARNIN, s. learning,
book-knowledge.
^-^RRIMAN'S DOG, idiom,
to express the
intensity of laziness.
Macclesfield.
“ He*s
as lazy as
Larriman^s Dog^
About WiLMSLOW it
is •• Dean's
Dog."
“As idle as
Dean*s dog that
laid it deawn
t* bark."
^-^RTJP, V. to
beat
^'ASH, r. a
method of threshing
wheat for seed.
1*0 lash wheat
was to take
handfiils of straw
and beat them,
not too
Violently, against a
piece of wood.
By this means
the finest grains
were
■^^oclccd out, and
were saved for
seed. The smaller
grains, which were
not
5^ easily beaten
out, remained in
the straw, which
was then threshed
with
ftails for general
purposes. Improved methods
of separating the
grain by
“^cliinery have rendered
this pnmitive mode
of selection unnecessary.
Cottagers also
often adopted this
mode of threshing
the small crops
of wheat they
sometimes grew in
their crofts or
gardens.
^-^H OUT, V.
(i) to kick,
said of horses or
cows.
(2) to
spend money freely,
especially in some
new
undertaking.
LASS, s. woman,
wife, girl.
Constantly used when
speaking to a
female, and not
confined to any
age. A man frequently
addresses his wife
as “lass."
\^^^s. (i) a
lath..
(2) hindrance. W.
I
LAT, a4l (i)
slow.
(2) backward.
“A Atf
spring."
198
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.
LAT, V. to
hinder. W.
LATAFOOT, adj. slow
in moving. W.
LATCH, s,
“It's aizy howdin
deawn i^latch when
nobody poos at
string “ is
an old
Cheshire proverb which
means that anything
is easy of
accomplishment when
no opposition is
offered ; but it
is more generally
applied to a
woman who,
never having had
an offer of
marriage, boasts about
remaining single. The
proverb refers to
the old-fashioned latches
which were once
very common in
Cheshire, but are
now almost things
of the past,
though I think
I could still
find a
few of them
in use. The
latch, on the
inside of the
door, has a
leather thong or
piece of string
fastened to it;
the string is
then passed
through a hole
in the door,
so that the
latch can be
lifted from the
ontside by
pulling at the
string.
LATHE, s. weaving
term.
A laifu is an
upright frame across
the loom, which
holds the rud
through
which the thread
or warp pa5;ses.
The reed is
made of steel
wire, and
between each wire
is an opening
called a dent.
In weaving, the
lathe is
{mshed back, the
threads are crossed
by the yells
worked by treddles,
which
eaves an opening
through which the
shuttle carries the
weft. The lathe
is
pushed back, forcing
the weft to
the cloth, and
is then brought
forward
again for a
repetition of the
process.
LATHE, V, to
invite to a
funeral or a
wedding. I think
nearly
obsolete in Cheshire,
but still used
in Lancashire.
LATHER, or perhaps
more correctly Ladther,
s, a ladder.
LATLY, adv. slowly.
“ Th*
drain runs bu'
latly.
)i
LATTER EENDS, s.
the poor corn
separated from the
better
samples in the
process of winnowing. Used
for feeding poultry.
LAT TIME, s.
a backward season.
LAWKIN 1
I ADYKIN I
^"^^^* ^y Lawkin,
or Lady kin,
by our blessed
Lady. W.
LAWP, V. to
eat clumsily with
a spoon. — Manchester City
News^
Feb. 26th, 1880
(not localized).
LAWS YOU NOW,
interj. see you
now ! Used
as Lo 1
W.
LAWYERS, s. old
thorny stems of
briar or bramble,
Rosa canina
and Rubus fruiicosusj
from which you
have some trouble
to
escape if you
happen to be
caught by them.
LAYCH, s. a
pool. Bredbury, Wilmslow.
There are two
shallow pools on
Wilmslow Racecourse which
are, 00
were, called respectively the
Black Laych and
the Green Laych.
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CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 1 99
LAY DOWN, V.
(i) to sow
arable land with
grass seeds.
(2) to
lend money, to
advance money.
(3) to
buckle to; to
do anything with
energy.
“He likes to
be at a
loose eend; he
winnot /ay down
to work."
LAYING GROUND, s.
a turf-getting word.
That ground upon
which the newly-cut
turf is laid.
LAY INTO, z/.
(i) to work
with a will.
“Now then, lay
into it," means,
" work as
hard as you
can.*'
(2) to
beat.
“Lay into him,"
i./., " Give
him a good
threshing."
LAYLOCK, s, lilac,
Syringa vulgaris,
LAY OUT, V,
(i) to turn
the cows out
at night in
the spring.
*'Han you iii^A/tftf/yet?" would
be perfectly well
understood without
using the word
" cows."
(2) to
wash and otherwise
prepare a dead
body,
immediately after death,
foi; burial.
LAY UP, V.
to take cows
into the shippons
at night
"Have you layedupt^^ would
be understood as
meaning, "Have you
taken the cows
in at night
? "
LEACH, s, salt-making
term; the brine
(fully saturated) which
drains,
from the salt,
or is left
in the pan
when the salt
is drawn out.
Formerly called "
leach-brine.*'
“l^a^k-hnne, which is
such brine, as
runs from their
salt when 'tis
taken
lip before it
hardens."— (Nantwich,
1669) Philosophical Transactions,
vol. iv., p.
1065.
*-EAD, s. a
salt pan.
A Roman lead
saltpan is preserved
in the Warrington
Museum. The
“ Water Leaders" of
Chester were formerly
an incorporated company,
now
extinct. L.
With respect to
the lead pan,
probably not Roman,
now placed in
the
AVarrington Museum, Mr.
Beamont, in his
Catalogue of the
Antiquities in the
M^arrington Museum^ describes
it thus : "Ancient Lead
Saltpan, and
fragment of another,
with others lying
side by side,
found at North wich,
S or
9 feet below
the surface. Each
pan measured 3
feet 6 inches
long, by
3 feet
6 inches wide,
and 6 inches
deep. Fire had
been used under
them,
^nd pieces of
charred wood adhered
to the ends.
They rested on
oak sills,
^nd one of
them had marks
of this kind
cut upon it,
1 1 1 C C
C 1 1 1. From
^ese pans we
see what b
meant by Mead
walling' in Holland's
Agri-
^^dtural Survey of
Cheshire^ 51 in
notes^ and Lowthorp's
Abridgt.
-Philosophical Transactions^ II.,
314." See Lead-lookers and
Lead-
'V^ALLERS.
-^D (pronounced Leead),
v. to cart
hay or corn
from the field.
Used both transitively as,
"We shall leead
com to-day," and
intran-
^tively as, "
I think the
hay '11 be
ready to leead
to-day. '' Said also
of the
field itself, "
We'n led th'
barn-field."
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